BY MIKE FUHRMAN

After working in restaurant management in Charlotte for about 15 years, Dante Reid grew weary from the long hours and frequent phone calls on his day off.

He craved more time at home with his family and a slower pace of life.

Not long after Reid and his wife Regina moved to the Statesville area, he decided to embark on a business venture of his own.

“I knew I didn’t want to work for the man anymore,” he explained. “I wanted to be the man.”

For the past three years he’s been manning a food cart near the intersection of Old Mountain Road and U.S. Highway 70, selling hot dogs, smoked sausages, pulled pork sandwiches and tacos.

And Reid has loved (almost) every minute of it.

That’s My Dogg had a bit of an inauspicious start. After Reid spent weeks planning, getting his cart just right and making sure he had high-quality food, the launch was a dud. He took in a meager $22 on the first day and went home feeling deflated.

“You start questioning if you made the right decision,” he said.

He also hadn’t fully considered the reality of being outside in extreme temperatures for seven or eight hours a day. He works when it’s 97 degrees and when it’s 28 degrees.

But the Farmville native and Army veteran persevered, believing in his products, in the location he chose and, most importantly, in himself.

There are days when it’s bitterly cold or drizzling when it’s tough to get excited about working. But the hot dogs aren’t going to sell themselves.

“It’s not going to run itself,” he said. “You’ve got to be motivated.”

Today, That’s My Dogg is resounding success. Reid sells 500 to 700 hot dogs a week and regularly sells out of smoked sausages and tacos.

The location has proven to be ideal. The busy intersection is miles from a traditional restaurant, making That’s My Dogg a great option for contractors and others working in the area who don’t have time to drive into town for lunch. Truck drivers who take Highway 70 to avoid the weigh station on Interstate 40 are also frequent customers.

Reid’s prices are also reasonable. Regular dogs are $2, beef tacos cost $3, smoked sausages and chili cheese dogs go for $4, and pork sandwiches are $5.

Reid estimates that he has more than 100 regulars who stop by at least once a week. He chats easily with them while topping their dogs and sausages with an array of banana peppers, jalapenos, homemade chili and slaw.

During the summer, he sets up at the West Iredell community pool on Friday nights. He is also available for special events, including sports and school events and grand openings.

Three years removed from the stress of working in large restaurants, Reid has found his spot. He enjoys his weekly trip to Sam’s Club for supplies, and he appreciates the hundreds of times each week that his friends and customers honk and wave as they drive through the intersection. Although the cold, drizzly days and mid-summer scorchers are challenging, he can’t imagine a better place to work.

“I enjoy the people more than anything else,” he said. “This makes me happy.”

That’s My Dogg is open Tuesday-Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.