At just 16 years old, Jacob Irving is starting a business inspired by his grandfather’s restaurant.
The Montgomery, Texas teen opened a gourmet hotdog truck called Pop Pop’s Dandy Dog to continue his family’s food legacy.
Pop Pop is Irving’s grandfather, of course. His restaurant was called Dandy Dog.
“He has been an inspiration to me since I was little,” he told KHOU News.
Working hard for his money
Irving has been working on his business plan for two years, drawing up his project since he was just 14.
He even worked multiple jobs while going to school to save up for funding.
But he did have one investor who always believed in him – his dad.
“So the deal was I got him the trailer, and then he did everything else. So any of his other startup costs, anything else he needed, he had to come up with,” Kevin Irving said.
The teen is proud of the results.
“Basically I have taken over the mantle as the dandiest dog in town,” he said.
Jacob’s menu includes a few of his grandpa’s recipes and some of his own.
“We do fries, funnel cakes, loaded fries,” Jacob said.
Luckily, Pop Pop is still around, and he was able to witness his grandson honor his legacy.
He even made it out to the big grand opening.
“It’s going to be neat to see how this is going to go. I’m excited, the future is very bright for him. We’re at one of the great memory makers right now for sure,” Irving’s dad said proudly.
When school starts up again, the young restauranteur hopes to hire staff – and eventually, he hopes to start a franchise someday.
The drama begins
But no business plan can truly prepare you for how other people will react when you open a restaurant (even if it’s a hot dog stand).
So when Irving opened up across from Old Montgomery Steak House, he was surprised to learn not everyone was supportive of his endeavor.
Seemingly threatened by the competition, the steak house started advertising $1.50 hot dogs and free ice cream to their customers.
It’s pretty hard to stay in business when someone is offering your products at a steep discount nearby, but Irving persevered.
And there was another side to the story.
“Friendly” competition
The owner of the steakhouse, Wayne Kung, believes it’s all in the name of competition.
Unfortunately, he even received threats about the hot dog and ice cream deal.
Kung said Irving was also taking advantage of the location and that the teen’s customers were coming in to use his bathroom and filling up his parking lot.
It’s a frustration that business owners can probably relate to.
“It’s frustrating because I’m cleaning up their mess. So they’re making me to be the bad person, but this building’s been here for more than two decades, and they’ve been here for one week,” Kung told KHOU News.
Intervening with kindness
At the end of the day, Kung and Irving came to an understanding – and it’s all thanks to a group called The Taylor Organization.
They agreed to not only mediate but ensure both businesses got the support they needed.
“It’s all a misunderstanding and now it’s fixed,” said Allen Taylor, National President of the Taylor Organization.
As the two businessmen shook hands, it seemed as though everyone was going to be ok thanks to big appetites and bigger support networks.
Be sure to scroll down below to see the two entrepreneurs come to a resolution.
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