Today we’d like to introduce you to Moustafa Eissa.
Hi Moustafa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always been a foodie. Houston’s food scene has so much to offer, and my wife and I love to go out and try different foods. But what we love most is being able to go home after a great meal and replicate those meals with our own unique twists. I like grilling, smoking meats, and really anything that involves a flat top. I play around with different recipes and love to show off what we make at home. We eventually started a foodie page on Instagram, and from there, we eventually started a full-on pop-up business where everyone could try out tour creations for themselves. Of the foods we tried making, gourmet hot dogs really seemed to bring a crowd. It was a simple enough idea, but we found that we could easily turn a simple hot dog into something unique with a few different toppings/fillings. We started by offering these for free at local mosque events since Halal hot dogs are never really an option for Muslims. The craze for these hot dogs was so massive that we decided to turn it into a business, and soon enough, we began vending at events/carnivals/parties. In only a few short months, we’ve grown enough to have a different pop-up event nearly every weekend.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Despite the quick popularity of our hot dogs, it most definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. For one thing, my wife and I both work full-time jobs, so as much as we wanted to match the demand and grow our business, we also had to juggle our full-time jobs and being parents to a toddler. Some struggles that we have faced involved the nature of being a pop-up stand (as opposed to a full-time food truck or brick-and-mortar restaurant). When we first began in 2022, our first large event was the Houston Halal Food Festival, which was the first Halal food festival of its size in Houston. We didn’t know how many customers to expect and definitely did not anticipate the huge turnout and demand for our hot dogs in particular. This was an event where we were massively underprepared, both with staffing and food prep. We’ve had other events that were, despite advertising and expected numbers of attendees from organizers, massively underwhelming in terms of turn-out and sales. One of the biggest struggles of this job is trying to plan and prepare according to demands and turn-out that fluctuate based the event and venue. Additionally, because of our smaller-scale business, sometimes there are isswith getting our supply in on time, so we’ve had to learn to adapt and plan well in advance in order to ensure adequate stock for our events. Each pop-up comes with increased knowledge and insight, and we’re grateful for the experience.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Our business, Mad Dogs, specializes in gourmet Halal hot dogs. Halal is a term referring to the ethical slaughter of animals in accordance with Islamic practices. Mad Dogs is unique because there are few, if any, gourmet hot dog options, much less Halal hot dogs. We are a small, family-owned business that specializes in serving bold flavors, creative recipes, and all-around delicious hot dogs. We are so proud of the support our community has given us. We believe this support is because of our ability to keep up with demand and provide consistently excellent gourmet dogs time and time again, despite working in varying conditions depending on our pop-up venue of the day. We want readers and followers to know that this passion project is about serving each one of you who has ever supported us, shared our posts or hot dogs on social media, or come out to one of our events. Our hot dogs are creatively curated and patiently perfected, and we can’t wait to share them with y’all.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We have collaborated with events of all kind, varying from local carnivals at mosques to large-scale car meets and charity sporting events, and corporate catering events. You can collaborate with us by reaching out at maddogshtx@gmail.com or following us at @Maddogshtx on Instagram. You can support us by following us on social media, sharing our posts and pop-up events with family and friends, and showing up to events and trying out our hot dogs. We are always open to suggestions and love meeting new people, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Pricing:
- Mad Dog (brioche bun, Halal 1/4 Lb spicy beef hot dog, topped with sriracha, crispy fried onions, and house-made curry-ketchup and honey Mayo, dusted with black pepper)- $7
- Corn Dog (brioche bun, Halal 1/4 Lb spicy beef hot dog, topped with roasted corn, homemade honey Mayo, Parmesan, Tajin, cilantro, and jalapeños) -$7
- Brisket Dog (brioche bun, Halal 1/4 Lb spicy beef hot dog, topped with halal smoked brisket, bbq sauce, and pickled and fried onions for added texture) -$9
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Maddogshtx
Image Credits
Talha Khawaja
Yusuf Sham Ayaan
@localhalalspots – Main photo, Photo #1 to #5, Photo #7
