Mason’s Super Idea

    It happened in the middle of Times Square. Mason was 9 years old. He and his older sister were waiting for a hot dog at one of the area’s many hot dog carts. They all had super-long lines. Wow, Mason thought. These hot dogs must be pretty special!

    Then he bit into one . . .

    “It didn’t taste very good,” Mason says. If people waited in line for these hot dogs, he knew he could make money selling better ones.

    Mason took the idea home to Georgia and came up with a plan for his business. 

    He would save up for a small hot dog cart. The business would be named Mason’s Super Dogs. He would take his cart to barbecues, birthday parties, and other special events.

    Mason was 9. He was in Times Square with his older sister. They were waiting in line for a hot dog. The area had many hot dog carts. They all had long lines. Wow, Mason thought. These hot dogs must be pretty special!

    Then he tried one . . .

    “It didn’t taste very good,” he says. If people waited in line for these hot dogs, he knew he could make money selling better ones.

    Back home in Georgia, Mason made a plan.

    He would save up for a small hot dog cart. He would call his business Mason’s Super Dogs. He would take his cart to barbecues, birthday parties, and other special events.

    Mason was 9 years old, and he and his older sister were waiting for a hot dog at one of the many hot dog carts in Times Square. They all had extremely long lines. Wow, Mason thought. These hot dogs must be pretty special!

    Then he bit into one . . .

    “It didn’t taste very good,” Mason remembers. If people waited in line for these hot dogs, he knew he could make money selling better ones.

    Mason took the idea home to Georgia and came up with a plan for his business.

    He would save up for a small hot dog cart, and he would call his business Mason’s Super Dogs. He would take his cart to barbecues, birthday parties, and other special events.

    Mason’s Super Dogs was a success right away. Mason made about $200 a week! There was one problem: His cart could hold only a few hot dogs and a couple of toppings. So Mason saved up for a bigger cart. 

    With more room, Mason could experiment with different toppings. He created a pizza dog with tomato sauce and cheese. He made a Buffalo dog with chicken and hot sauce.

    His family helped him taste-test each creation. “There were definitely times when they were sick of eating hot dogs!” Mason says.

    Mason’s Super Dogs was a hit. Mason made about $200 a week! There was one problem: His cart could not hold many hot dogs or toppings. So he saved up for a bigger cart.

    With more room, Mason could offer more toppings. He created a pizza dog with tomato sauce and cheese. He made a Buffalo dog with chicken and hot sauce.

    His family helped him taste-test each creation. “There were definitely times when they were sick of eating hot dogs!” Mason says.

    Mason’s Super Dogs was an instant success. Mason made about $200 a week! The one problem was that his cart could hold only a few hot dogs and a small selection of toppings. Mason solved that problem by saving up for a larger cart.

    With more room, Mason could experiment with a wider variety of toppings. He created a pizza dog with tomato sauce and cheese. He made a Buffalo dog with chicken and hot sauce.

    His family helped him taste-test each creation. “There were definitely times when they were sick of eating hot dogs!” 

    When Mason was 12, he tried out for the TV show Shark Tank. It lets people pitch their businesses to investors. Mason’s tryout didn’t go well. “I was nervous and stumbled over my words,” he says.

    Mason didn’t give up. The tryouts were held at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Mason saw the president of the college walking by. He asked if he could sell his hot dogs at Morehouse.

    This time, the pitch worked. Soon, Mason had many loyal customers at the college.

    When Mason was 12, he tried out for the TV show Shark Tank, which lets people pitch their businesses to investors. Mason’s tryout didn’t go well. “I was nervous and stumbled over my words,” he explains.

    But Mason wouldn’t be defeated so easily. The tryouts were held at Morehouse College in Atlanta. After he finished, Mason spotted the president of the college walking by and decided to ask if he could sell his hot dogs at Morehouse.

    This time, the pitch worked. Before long, Mason had many loyal customers at the college.

    Still, Mason had even bigger dreams. By early 2020, he had saved up about $9,000 for a food truck. But then Covid-19 started to spread. People were staying in their houses.

    There were no crowds to drive a food truck to. He knew it would be hard to find customers.

    Mason decided to change his plan. Instead of a food truck, he could open a walk-up restaurant. That way, people could come to him. They could order their hot dogs at a window. Then they could eat them at a table outside or bring them home.

    Mason and his sister used their savings to rent a space. On opening day, 300 people came. “The line stretched into the next parking lot,” Mason remembers. 

    Mason worked hard. He wanted a food truck. By early 2020, he had saved up about $9,000. But then Covid-19 started to spread. People were staying home. There were no crowds to drive a food truck to. How would he find customers?

    Mason changed his plan. He decided to open a walk-up restaurant. People could order their hot dogs at a window. Then they could eat them at a table outside or bring them home.

    Mason and his sister rented a space. On opening day, 300 people came. “The line stretched into the next parking lot,” Mason says.

    Still, Mason had even bigger dreams. By early 2020, he had saved up about $9,000 for a food truck. But when Covid-19 began to spread, people started staying in their homes

    With no crowds to drive a food truck to, Mason knew it would be difficult to find customers.

    Mason decided to change his plan. Instead of a food truck, he would open a walk-up restaurant so that people could come to him. After ordering their hot dogs at a window, they could eat them at a table outside or bring them home.

    Mason and his sister used their savings to rent a space. On opening day, 300 people came. “The line stretched into the next parking lot,” Mason remembers.