There are good dogs and bad dogs. Eight years in, and Yummy Dogs founder Olaf is slowly but surely weeding out the rogues with a fresh dedication to quality hot dogs, bake-fresh buns and a range of lip-smacking relishes.
For chef Olaf, born and raised in Germany, it’s all about creating the ultimate taste experience. He won’t rest until he’s won the fight against soggy dogs.
Boring burgers. Stale buns. Tasteless relish. Pickles lacking pep.
“After years working in offices in Europe and Asia, it was time to move back to my true passion – working with real people, face-to-face,” Olaf says.
“March 2009 clinched it for me,” he continues, “Facing my midlife crisis head-on, I knew it was decision time.”
“The red sports car or a hot dog stand?” he recalls.
“The hot dog stand won, and I’ve never looked back!”
In the last 8 years, the business has worked for many of Australia’s big brands (including media, airlines, banking and car manufacturers) and expanded the business to include their own range of top-class relish, hot pepper, pickle and salsa products.
“Today we cater for everything from small, intimate office meetings to large company and corporate lunches where we serve over a thousand hot dogs in less than two hours.
“We undertake product promotions, cater for exhibitions and conferences, and can provide a hot dog stand for weddings, family gatherings and birthday parties.”
But don’t expect Olaf to start to branch out into the craze that is “gourmet” hot dogs anytime soon.
“What’s a gourmet hot dog anyway?” he asks, “There are no gourmet dogs here, only yummy dogs. A hot dog is a hot dog, and the only rule that counts is that it tastes amazing! If you serve it the original way, using quality ingredients and top with authentic relishes and condiments, you can’t go wrong.”
“Back in 2009, the hot dog had earned quite a bad reputation in Australia. Sausages were the bland, red-skinned varieties you found at sports matches and in the supermarket, while toppings were hugely predictable – tomato sauce or mustard. If you were really “lucky”, you encountered one with the luxury of barbecue sauce!”
“It took a lot of hard work, sampling and tasting sessions to educate customers about the power of an authentic, finely grilled hot dog – and to convince businesses that it’s fine to serve quality hot dogs to their clients and staff.”
If you’re in Sydney and need some delicious catering, or you simply want to find out more about Yummy Dogs, you can contact them here: https://www.yummydogs.com.au
