What started as a simple hustle selling hot dogs on a tray has transformed into a growing food business in Clarendon. Ryan Simmonds, co-founder of Thriving Yutes, alongside his wife, built his enterprise from the ground up after facing unemployment.

Simmonds’ journey began in 2014 when he lost his job and was struggling to find work. Determined to make a living, he and a friend teamed up — one selling sandwiches, the other selling juices — to make ends meet. Without a proper food cart, Simmonds started by preparing 24 hot dogs daily, placing them on a tray, and walking around May Pen, selling them.

“I used to do miles; I used to walk around,” he recalled, emphasising the lengths he went to in order to make sales.

As business picked up, he started refining his offerings, transitioning from sandwiches with regular sliced bread to hot dog buns and later burger buns. However, as partnerships shifted, he decided to venture out on his own.

To expand, Simmonds invested $100,000 to build his first food cart. Unable to afford the standard $300,000-$360,000 carts, he improvised by constructing a mobile wooden cart, ensuring it had essential features like a handwashing sink and running water. He parked at various locations and continued pushing his business forward.

For Ryan Simmonds, securing a steady customer base was key to expanding his food business. Over time, his biggest sales came from supplying meals to students at May Pen Primary and Central High schools in Clarendon. Once he arrived at the schools each morning with his cart, he often could not leave until 5:00 pm.

“It worked, man. I was selling so much,” Simmonds recalled during an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

His success was evident in the numbers. He sold two boxes of Reggae Jammin’ sausages daily, generating approximately $60,000 per day from the schools alone. After deducting expenses, he took home around $40,000 daily, a major milestone in his journey from selling hot dogs on a tray to running a hot dog cart.

What began with selling hot dogs from a tray has now evolved into a fully-fledged food business with multiple locations. After years of pushing a mobile cart through the streets of May Pen, Ryan Simmonds took a major step in 2017 when a friend suggested he lease an empty lot to establish a 200-square-foot shop. Initially, he started with a tent and a counter, but after a few months, weather conditions forced him to build a more permanent structure. By 2021-2022, he had invested $500,000 in construction, gradually expanding the space to improve operations.

“This became my headquarters,” he explained.

After setting up the main location, he expanded into stationary hot dog carts, similar to branded street vendors like Bad Dawgs. He now operates two stationary hot dog stands in addition to his shop. With three different locations within the same parish of Clarendon, the menu has expanded, offering full meals and loaded fries. Simmonds’ business has grown to where he had to employ others to run some parts of the business to allow him and his wife to have more time for each other and their family.

“We had to stay up late at night prepping for the next day and wake up as early as 5:00 am. It was exhausting, especially with a family to take care of, so that’s when we decided to hire more employees,” Simmonds shared.

The team is now looking to expand into Mandeville, Manchester, with plans to replicate the shop model and menu in the new location. Despite the menu’s expansion, hot dogs remain the business’s primary earner, and the mobile cart continues to operate outside schools.

“I still serve all those kids. When I go to Central High School during break time, I sell about 200 hot dogs,” Simmonds said.

Ryan Simmonds always believed in his business, even in the early days when he was selling hot dogs from a tray. While he never anticipated operating multiple locations across May Pen, growing customer demand pushed him to expand. As he built his brand, customers began requesting that he serve more areas, often waiting for him at locations he couldn’t always reach with just one cart. Recognising the opportunity, he strategically placed additional carts in key areas to meet the growing demand. His business, which started as a small hustle, has now evolved into a multi-location operation, fuelled by innovation, persistence, and a strong connection with his customers.