Mokhtar Sherif, the hot dog vendor has gone from being just a businessman to a counselor.

Hotdog stands are a common sight in most parts of America, but there is rarely one that has progressed from being just that. There is one in the corner of Connecticut and L, just south of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., is one such stand. As this is a busy intersection, pedestrians’ and vehicles are always on the move. This area has many stores, gyms, banks, restaurants and business areas.

Mokhtar Sherif has established his very own business at this intersection, called ‘Sherif’s Specials’. When he set shop 20 years ago in 1990, he had difficulty understanding what his customers were saying. He had to learn and understand the meaning of the English food he was selling, as the only language he knew was Arabic.

Daily Life and the Recession

His store stocked hot dogs, candies, gums, chips, muffins and drinks. The shop is open from 5.30 in the morning to 4.30 in the evening every day, and the busiest hour is between 11 am and 2 pm. His hot dogs are affordably priced at $1.50, and when his competitors use canned products to make them, he uses the freshest of ingredients. His onions are freshly cooked and there is grated cheese, mustard, hot sauces and pepper in his hot dogs.

Due to the economic slowdown, Sherif's business was directly affected and his sale reduced by over 50% . This steady decrease over the past three years has affected him hard. He has, during this period, come across customers who ask him for free food. Not the homeless kinds who need a helping hand, but office goers who want a little extra something free, when they buy certain things from the menu. He has also come across people who steal a bottle of water or a candy and run away without paying any money. All desperate measures people have taken to, during the economic slowdown. 

From Businessman to Counselor

Even when he is faced with situations like this, his manners to his customers has never been anything but cordial. It is this habit of his that drew many people to him, and in between serving them the dogs or the chips, he listens to their stories of cheating spouses, economic troubles, drunken night outs and the likes. He believes that they reach out to him because he is a good listener. They want to talk to someone and he is just there, always ready to hear them out. He is also very careful to never repeat the conversations he has heard. “That is just between me and that man”, he says.

Though he is self employed, life is not easy for Sherif. He has to be on his feet the whole day, and he has to work in extreme climatic conditions, every single day of the year – come rain or shine. Once his son was also a part of the business, but he later moved to D.C. to pursue a different career. 

Roots unforgotten

Though he has been selling hot dogs for years now, he is still an Egyptian at heart - someone who loves to eat a home cooked meal. He also understands that selling hot dogs is his job, and he will have to continue selling the same unless his customers ask otherwise. He believes his business runs smoothly only because he serves the customer just what they need and ask for. If he doesn’t have it that day, he makes it a point to get it for them the next day.

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