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BACKGROUND

Woodbridge, VA is in Prince William County with 44,000 residents as of 2020. Being only 30 minutes from Washington DC, this area is popular among government workers, middle-class families, and tourists. With hundreds of restaurants to choose from, competition among businesses to stand out occurs often. Dave’s Dogs is a local, small business located in Woodbridge, VA. Since June 2014, his organization has been committed to serving, quality food while giving back to the community. During the winter, Dave works with local churches to provide the homeless food using his propane fund and offers discounts every Thursday for first responders and military personnel. His most notable act of service is his partnership with the Prince William County Animal Shelter where he covers adoption fees, spayed/neuter costs, and if needed, medical costs for animals he sponsors using the money earned from tips. As of June 2020, over four hundred animals have found homes due to the love from customers and Dave’s charitably. After nearly a decade in service, his business has been able to maintain success amongst his competition, however, he could expand his business and overcome obstacles to continue his charity work, while also earning more income and customers. This analysis of Dave’s Dogs will examine the business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats while providing ideas to grow.

STRENGTHS 

  • The food is affordable, with diverse options to choose from such as hot dogs, sausages, sandwiches, baskets, and desserts all under $10.

  • Dave’s Dogs is a charitable organization, which can incline people to eat at his locations.

  • Dave’s Dogs prides itself on all orders being made fresh to order, with no use of microwaves and heat lamps.

  • They frequent events that occur around the northern Virginia area, like fairs, festivals, and grand openings.

OPPORTUNITES

  • The business could expand to storefront locations or open more food trucks and move across the northern Virginian area.

  • Dave’s Dogs could partner with other local organizations like ACTS or Streetlight to continue his charitable actions.

  • Dave can create merchandise like shirts, mugs, hoodies, sauces, and more that can be promoted. Potentially, the merchandise money can go towards the animal shelter or the homeless.

  • Expanding his business onto food delivery services to allow anyone to always get his food.

WEAKNESSES

  • The location of the food truck is not consistent. While he does post on his social media his whereabouts, he can be hard to find, and if not following his socials, customers could never know where he is.

  • Dave’s Dogs is only available during the summer months, which can make his business forgettable and lessen his income.

  • Dave’s Dogs do not have options for those with eating and dietary restrictions for reasons like veganism, religion, and health requirements.

  • Dave’s Dogs is only available on weekends.

THREATS

  • Woodbridge has hundreds of food options, which all have storefronts and online ordering options. Also faces competition with other hot dog locations like the Ballywhack Shack.

  • Due to COVID-19, many food options had an increase in pricing, which can potentially raise the prices at Dave’s Dogs.

  • Weather conditions like thunderstorms can prohibit his business from being able to open on the two days he is in service. 

Event Idea

 

The event I produced for Dave’s Dogs would be an adoption event with Prince William County Animal Shelter. Dave already has an eight-year partnership with the organization, so an agreement for the event should be easy to obtain. During the event, Dave’s Dogs will be present at the shelter, where every donation of food and toys, will result in a free hot dog. Any animal adopted will have all fees waived by Dave’s Dogs, alongside the free hot dog. Finally, for all hot dogs purchased on this day, the money will be donated to the shelter to ensure the shelter has enough funding to maintain its establishment. This would help continue Dave’s initiative of helping his community, while also potentially introducing his business to new customers. It can be located outside the shelter, during the summer when sales are higher for his business. The target audience would be animal lovers and families, as I believe these would be the dominant individuals in attendance.

References    

Dave’s Dogs. (2022, September 18). Dave’s Dogs Va. Retrieved from http://davesdogsva.com/

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https://www.facebook.com/davesdogsva/

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