From Hot Dog Cart to Brick-and-Mortar: The Story of Nick's Street Eats

What started as a backup plan and a hot dog cart has grown into a family-owned business with a permanent home — but for Jennifer and the family behind Nick's Street Eats, the heart of the business has stayed much the same.

The idea for Nick's Street Eats came during an unexpected period in Jennifer's life. After lower back surgery required her to step away from her primary job for around three months, she found herself considering a question she hadn't necessarily planned to answer: What if I can't go back?

While exploring possibilities, Jennifer found herself down a YouTube rabbit hole about hot dog carts — how they worked, how they were built and what it took to operate one.

And an idea started to take shape.

Jennifer has always had an entrepreneurial streak. She's started enough ventures over the years that she admits she hasn't exactly kept count. Side gigs, new ideas and finding ways to build something of her own have long been part of her life. By her 30s, she'd realized that building something of her own was possible — helped along by advice from her mom that stuck with her: the most someone can tell you is no.

Still, starting Nick's wasn't an impulsive decision.

Jennifer describes herself as one of the dreamers in the family, while her husband, Terry, tends to be the reality check. Before the family jumped into the hot dog business, he encouraged her to research the idea thoroughly.

So she did.

They tested different hot dogs, worked to find the right bun-and-meat combination and learned what it would take to get the cart up and running. They even connected with the family behind a previous hot dog cart in Fremont and received their blessing before moving forward.

By May of 2021, Nick's Street Eats was licensed and ready to serve.

Building a Following One Customer at a Time

Before Nick's had a brick-and-mortar location, the business operated out of a commissary kitchen at Fremont First Congregational Church, serving customers through its hot dog cart and catering events.

That time gave the family an opportunity to do something important before taking on the expense of a permanent location: build a customer base.

Eventually, those customers started asking a question of their own.

Where could they get Nick's during the winter?

Nebraska weather isn't exactly conducive to year-round hot dog cart dining, and the demand helped demonstrate that there could be room for Nick's beyond the cart.

The business eventually made the leap to a permanent location, opening next door to Jack's Liquor, which Jennifer describes as a great neighboring partner.

Even after opening the restaurant, though, the family has continued listening to the people who helped them grow in the first place. Customer feedback led them to adapt the space to include seating, and they've found opportunities to host parties and make the restaurant more than simply a place to grab something to eat.

That personal experience is intentional.

An Old-Fashioned Approach to Business

Jennifer describes Nick's as having a bit of an old-school feel — a place built around relationships, personal touches and genuinely caring about the people who walk through the door.

When someone came in on their birthday, the Nick's crew sang "Happy Birthday." When customers held a party there, the family helped decorate.

It's part of Jennifer's desire to "set the bar higher" and create the kind of experience that can be difficult to replicate in a corporate environment. And since opening the brick-and-mortar location, Nick's has continued to grow, adding brownies, soups and baked potatoes to its offerings.

That philosophy extends beyond Nick's itself.

For Jennifer, supporting locally owned businesses means supporting the people and families behind them. Small-business owners don't necessarily have the deep pockets, benefits or safety nets of a large corporation. What they do have are relationships with their customers and communities — and the opportunity to support one another's dreams.

Nick's itself is very much a family operation. Jennifer and Terry balance the dreamer and realist roles, while their sons bring personalities of their own: Justin tends to be the logical one, while their youngest, Nick, shares some of his mom's tendency to dream big.

Still Part of the MainStreet Family

While Nick's Street Eats' permanent location is outside of Downtown Fremont, the business has been a familiar presence at MainStreet events for years.

Through the hot dog cart, Nick's has served eventgoers and helped add to the atmosphere that brings people together downtown. Their continued partnership is also a reminder of the role local businesses play in supporting one another and creating a stronger community — whether their storefront is located downtown or they're rolling in for an event.

From an uncertain "what if?" to a cart, a loyal customer base and eventually a brick-and-mortar restaurant, the story of Nick's Street Eats has been built on a willingness to try, listen, adapt and ask.

After all, sometimes the most someone can tell you is no.