08/19/2026
Sadly, I’m sharing that Joe’s must close for the time being.
The Town of Osoyoos has not approved me to continue operating. The cart has been deemed unsafe, and the LRCB has been brought in, focusing on a technical concern around an unclear line where guests can or cannot drink.
In 2022, with the help of an investor, I bought my first hot dog cart—something I could truly call my own. A dream I hoped to carry with me for as long as I could: standing in front of wonderful people and serving DELICIOUS food at an approachable price.
For 1.5 years, I worked at a fantastic restaurant, then hustled downtown to sling hot dogs at the local brewery day in and day out.
After an exciting summer season, I paid off my biggest investment yet: my hot dog cart, aka the DOGPOUND.
When the brewery changed hands, the local hotel decided to move in a different direction, and Joe’s was no longer part of the perfect spot I had built my model around. After a few short stints in locations that didn’t quite fit, Joe’s was invited back to the brewery where this beautiful story first began.
Full circle, right?
I truly hoped so.
After investing in a new water pump and heater, new truck, receiving health authority approval, securing insurance, a commissary kitchen, and passing fire inspection, one final step remained: gas certification.
Despite countless phone calls with local journeymen and inspectors, I have not yet been able to find someone able to inspect the cart and provide the certification needed to continue operating.
Having purchased the cart from what I now understand was a very loosely regulated environment in Alberta, I reached out to the original supplier in hopes of finding any documentation or guidance.
I keep asking myself, with genuine confusion and concern, how something like this can be assembled and sold without clear certification—and I still don’t have a clear answer.
It’s been difficult and honestly disheartening, not just for me, but for everyone who has supported and invested in this journey, as I try to navigate a solution as quickly as possible.
Joe
