I know what you're thinking when you read that New York City hot dog cart is in a list of six-figure jobs. First you're thinking, "how is that possible?" Then you're thinking, "wow, a hot dog sounds delicious right about now. Where can I get one?" As you can see, the second question answers the first question. People simply love hot dogs, and they love convenience. When you put those two things together, you have a money maker. Considering this can be an individual enterprise, you're talking about a lot of take home money.
While something like a professional chef or a line cook might seem more respectable than a hot dog vendor, that's just bigoted thinking. It's also incorrectly bigoted considering that hot dog vendors can make even more than a line cook or chef. Hot dog vendors all throughout the US bring in about $100,000 annually. Hot dog vendors in a high-traffic location during a weekend celebration will bring in an average of $1,200 in 2-3 days.