Two 16-Year-Olds Heard No Again And Again. Then They Sold 400 Hot Dogs A Night.

Matt D'Arcy and Keith Stedronsky were busboys at local restaurants in New Jersey. The job was fine. It just was not what they wanted to do.

So at 16, they started looking for a way to make some money on the side. They landed on something simple: hot dogs.

Three years later, their seasonal stand, called Dogs Out, has earned more than six figures in profit and become a summer favorite at the Jersey Shore, according to Fox News. The two founders, now 19, are business and economics majors, and they have been sharing their story on Fox this fall.

Their story is fun, but the most useful part is not the hot dogs. It is how they solved a problem almost every young business owner runs into: where do you sell, and who says you are allowed to?

When the two started planning, they did something many adults skip. They looked up the rules.

They learned about zoning and permit requirements in their area. Zoning is how a town decides what kind of business can operate in a certain spot. A permit is official permission to do something, like sell food.

What they found was a roadblock. To sell the way they wanted, they had to work with a business that was already zoned for it. They could not just set up a table on a random corner.

This is a great lesson by itself. Checking the rules first did not kill their idea. It told them exactly what kind of solution they needed. Instead of asking "Can we sell here?" the question became "Which business already has permission, and would they want us?"

So they started pitching. A pitch is a short explanation of your idea to someone you want help from.

Most places said no. That part of the story is easy to skip past, but it matters. They were teenagers asking business owners to trust them with space, customers, and their reputation. Rejection was normal.

Then they pitched the Osprey, a bar and club in Manasquan, New Jersey, that brings in about a thousand people a night. The owners liked the idea and gave them a chance. D'Arcy told Fox that it has been "smooth rolling ever since."

Under30CEO called this the smartest move in the whole story. Instead of trying to attract customers to a new spot, they set up where a big, hungry crowd was already showing up. They did not have to spend money on ads. The customers were already there.

Here is the part kids should really understand. The Osprey did not give them the spot for free.

"We give them a small percentage of our sales," Stedronsky explained on Fox.

This is called a revenue share. The partner gets a slice of every sale. In return, the business gets the permission, the location, and the crowd.

Why would a club want this? Think about it from their side. Their customers get food without the club having to cook it. The club earns a little extra money. And a fun hot dog stand makes the night better for everyone. A good partnership works because both sides win.

When you pitch a partner, always ask yourself: "What do they get out of this?" If you cannot answer that clearly, the answer will probably be no.

Dogs Out keeps its prices simple. One hot dog costs $3. Two cost $5.

That second price is called a bundle. Buying two drops the price to $2.50 each. Customers feel like they are getting a deal, and the stand sells more hot dogs per person.

On a good Friday night, Stedronsky said, they could sell around 400 hot dogs.

Let us estimate what that might bring in. We do not know exactly how many people bought one versus two, so we will use a range.

• If every hot dog sold at $3, that is 400 x $3 = $1,200.
• If every hot dog sold in pairs at $2.50 each, that is 400 x $2.50 = $1,000.

So a great night probably brought in somewhere between $1,000 and $1,200 in sales.

But sales are not profit. From that money, they still had to pay for hot dogs, buns, toppings, napkins, and supplies, plus the percentage they share with the club. What is left after all costs is the profit. Try this with your family: if supplies cost $1 per hot dog, and the partner takes 10% of sales, how much is left from $1,100 in sales? (Answer: $1,100 minus $400 in supplies minus $110 for the partner leaves $590.) These numbers are only an example, not the real Dogs Out costs, but the method is the same for any business.

Dogs Out also sells patriotic t-shirts for $20 each. Every shirt comes with a free hot dog.

This is clever for a few reasons.

First, a shirt usually earns more per sale than a hot dog. Second, the free hot dog makes the shirt feel like a better deal. Third, every person wearing the shirt around town becomes a walking advertisement.

The founders also have a mission they talk about: "make hot dogs cool again." A fun mission gives people something to remember and repeat. Under30CEO pointed out that a memorable name and personality helped people talk about the stand, and word of mouth is free marketing.

You probably should not start with a food stand outside a nightclub. But you can use the exact same idea at your size: find a place that already has customers and permission, and make it worth their while.

Here are some kid-sized partners to think about:

• A school fair or craft night. The school already has the space and the families.
• A youth sports league. Ask whether you can sell team-color bracelets or cheer signs at a weekend tournament, with part of the money going to the league.
• A neighbor's garage sale. Offer to run a small table of your crafts and share a slice of sales with them.
• A local shop. Some stores will sell handmade items on consignment, where they keep a percentage when something sells.

Before you pitch, write down three things: what you will sell, what the partner gets, and how you will keep things clean and safe. If you want a tool to help organize your plan, Foundra has resources for young business owners and their parents, but a notebook works great too.

One important rule: selling food usually needs permits and an adult involved, because of health and safety laws. For a first business, non-food products are often easier to start with.

Dogs Out did not win because hot dogs are rare. They are everywhere. The founders won because they did three things well:

1. They checked the rules first. That told them what kind of partner they needed.
2. They kept pitching after hearing no. One yes was enough to change everything.
3. They made the deal good for both sides. The club got a cut, happy customers, and a fun extra for its crowd.

Add simple prices, a smart bundle, and a memorable mission, and a basic idea turned into a real business. Any kid can practice those same steps, starting this weekend.

Who started Dogs Out? Matt D'Arcy and Keith Stedronsky started the hot dog stand at age 16 in New Jersey. They are now 19 and study business and economics, according to Fox News.

How much does Dogs Out charge? One hot dog is $3 and two are $5. They also sell $20 t-shirts that come with a hot dog.

Why did they partner with a club? Local zoning and permit rules meant they needed to work with a business that was already approved for that kind of use. The Osprey in Manasquan agreed, and it draws about a thousand people a night.

What is a revenue share? It is a deal where a partner gets a percentage of your sales in exchange for something valuable, like space, permission, or customers.

Can kids sell food to make money? Food sales often require permits and adult help because of health rules. Many kids start with non-food items like crafts, bracelets, or services, then grow from there.

1. Gen Z entrepreneurs earn six figures with Jersey Shore hot dog stand, Fox News
2. Teen Entrepreneur Duo Turns Hot Dogs Into Six Figures, Under30CEO, August 6, 2026
3. Dogs Out co-founders share their six-figure success story, Fox Business Video
4. Six-figure success: Teen entrepreneurs build big business from hot dogs, Whatfinger Business & Money, September 27, 2026