New Fast Food Franchise Woody's Chicago Style Deals Lots of Dogs

Dorothy Senescu makes her living selling hot dogs. Lots of them. In fact, she sold enough franks, soft drinks, chips and lemonade to gross record numbers in her first year in business.

Senescu peddles wieners, seven days a week, from her Woody’s Chicago Style Hot Dog stand. It’s the one that sits in front of Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse on Ramon Road at Gene Autry Trail in Palm Springs. Senescu is a Franchise owner. Because of her work ethic, she is one of the top franchise owners in the Woody’s Chicago Style Chain. She was recently chosen as a finalist for franchise owner of the year and this is only her second year in business. Such accolades have come her way because Senescu is putting up big numbers and her sales revenue top most of the longer established Woody’s hot dog franchises. How does she hit her numbers selling $3.00 hot dogs? She hustles, and she does it with only one employee, George Kelley.

She’s open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at least. That’s not counting set-up, take down and re-stocking. If someone gets a hankering for a hottie after the clock strikes 5, she’ll linger a little longer to make sure that hot dog lover gets his or her fix. With the Woody’s brand, headquartered in Morrison, Colorado, Dorothy has a name-brand concept backing her investment.

A typical day for Dorothy will find her serving in excess of 200 hot dogs and working at least 11 hours, except on Wednesdays. That’s the day she and her buddies hit the links at Diamond Valley Golf Course in Hemet.

Although Senescu “slings dogs” like a veteran, she’s a novice restauranteur, so to speak. Prior to opening her Woody’s Chicago Style, Dorothy spent nearly 10 years working at Mission Hills Country Club, her day job, and driving her own taxi cab by night. About two years ago she decided to do something else. On Feb. 28, 2004, she purchased a Woody’s franchise with money from her savings and a home re-finance.

Senescu said she looked into several other business opportunities – buying a bar in San Francisco was one option, but decided to purchase a Woody’s franchise because it was affordable and manageable. “This one looked easy because you could practically do it yourself. It was something I was confident I could do and do it well,” she said. As a franchisee, Dorothy must adhere to a higher power, but she is still given the latitude to make her own decisions about marketing her business. “If you have a good product and good service, customers don’t mind paying a little more,” she adds.

Before heading to their car after shopping at Lowe’s, Suzette and Kurt Koptis sidle their blue shopping cart up to Senescu’s stand. “Every time we come to Lowe’s, we stop here. He likes the hot dogs. He can’t say no,” Suzette said while pointing over her shoulder to Kurt. “He and the kids love them,” she said.

“I always have the No. 2,” shopper Terry Schabacher said, pointing to the special that includes a Polish sausage, soda and chips. Schabacher, who has residences in Palm Springs and Lake Arrowhead, said whenever he comes to Lowe’s he stops by Woody’s. “I come to Lowe’s a lot, so I come to Woody’s too. I love the Polish sausage, I always have the Polish sausage,” he said.