Midnight rolls around on Friday and Carter's nearly World Famous Hot Dog Stand rolls out.
Mark Carter, proprietor of the stand, has brought his stand out to the corner of Dill Street and University Avenue almost every weekend for the past 17 years.
He jokes that the idea to open a hot dog stand came to him in a dream.
"I was in my bedroom one night and I was sort of half asleep. A vision of Oscar Meyer came to me and he said, ‘Mark, go forth and purvey processed meat to the masses.' I thought it was a sign from above to become a weinerologist," Carter said.
After a little laughter, Carter said, "Actually, I don't think that's true."
The true beginning of his idea is much less glorious.
Carter was in between jobs and decided it would be easier to open his own business instead of finding another job.
"I finally found a boss I could work for, someone who was as smart as me," he said.
Carter said his decision to open a hot dog stand, instead of something else, was based on Muncie's need for one.
"I did some research and found that Muncie didn't have anyone who served hot dogs, so I took advantage of that fact," he said.
Seventeen years later, Carter's Hot Dog Stand still finds its place in the Village.
Carter credits his success to reasonable prices and a friendly attitude.
Many of Carter's customers have just left the Village bars, so it's safe to say they are under the influence. He explained that intoxicated customers aren't the worst part of the job.
"There are some times I question my sanity," he said. "It's when I'm standing out here in January with snow up to my butt, when it's cold."
Carter said he has been out way too many nights to pick a favorite story.
"If you take into consideration all the countless nights, the countless number of drunks, countless number of sober people, there's no way I could pick," he said.
One memory that sticks out in his mind, though, was the moment a man was shot in the foot near his stand, Carter said.
"I should have kept a journal," he said. "I could have wrote a book and probably made more money blackmailing people with it."
For the most part, Carter said people are just there to enjoy his hot dogs. But occasionally, people will cause problems.
"All in all, everyone is just out having a good time," he said. "Every once in awhile you'll get a few morons who will bugger things up, but it's pretty fun. Very seldom, you'll get some joker who I'll need to straighten out."
Carter then showed off exactly the service he said has made him so successful.
"I'll take one painted red and yellow," a young college-aged male said.
"Red and yellow, you got it. Anything else?" Carter responded.
"Nope. How long are you going to be out tonight?" the customer said.
"Just until everyone goes home," Carter said.
About a minute later, the order was filled and the customer was on his way, with both a hot dog and a conversation. Carter showed off his observation skills as well.
"You can never trust a vegetarian," he said, after he heard the customer's friend say she didn't eat meat. "One day they'll wake up hungry. Brussels sprouts just won't cut it anymore."
Comedy is a large part of his success, but for those who are looking to open their own business he only offers one piece of advice.
"Just try to deliver a consistent product at a decent price," he said. "That's the secret."
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