Dearborn High Grad Relishes Job as Hot Dog Cart Vendor

Editor's note: To celebrate Labor Day, Dearborn Patch went out on the town to find an interesting person with an unusual job to feature.

The ACO sales associate takes a regular hot dog with mustard and relish. A store security guard likes his with sauerkraut and onions.

So goes the start of the lunch hour for Amanda Kozicki, who runs a busy hot dog stand near the Bulk Food Warehouse on Michigan Avenue in the Kroger shopping complex.

It is the gateway to the west Dearborn business district - and dozens of hungry workers.

"We stay busy from noon till about 2 p.m. We're a quick meal for anyone with that 'on the go' lifestyle. And who doesn't like hot dogs?" she said.

The 2011 Dearborn High School graduate is putting herself through college one sausage at a time working for Binky's Hot Dogs.

Kozicki, a freshman studying nutrition and dietetics at Wayne State University, said she first heard about the job from a friend who worked at the company before going off to college. 

"I get that there is irony in wanting to be a dietetic while peddling hot dogs to the public, but you have to raise money for books and tuition somehow," she said.

Kozicki said she has been with the company for about a year, and enjoys talking with regular visitors as well as meeting new customers.

"Everyone is really nice," she said. "People will come order a hot dog and strike up a conversation. The job is not bad at all. You get to meet a lot of interesting people."

For the most part, Kozicki said, she feels safe working alone eight hours a day outdoors because her station is in a high traffic area.

"We don't typically have problems," she said. "Last year there was a guy driving around taking pictures of the hot dog vendors and we had to call the police, but that rarely happens."

While she doesn't foresee working as a vendor in the longterm, Kozicki said she is grateful for the opportunity.

"I never dreamed I would be working in food service again," the former Pizza Hut employee laughed. "I'm happy that this job allows plenty of flexibility with my classes."

Binky's serves all the standard favorites. The affordable menu is enticing, too. Hot dogs are $2 each, $3 for sausages, $1 for cold pop or water and 50 cents for a bag of Better Made chips.

Binky's regular weekly cart locations are in the ACO and Westborn parking lots. Binky's carts also are available for private parties and catering events. For more information, call 313-319-9473.