© Screenshot: ABC News / YouTube "Do what you love so you'll never work a day in your life." That's solid (if rather rosy) career advice, but it hits different when it's given to you by... a 14-year-old. Who already has a thriving hot dog business.
Teen entrepreneur Mason Wright, owner of Mason's Super Dogs in Stonecrest, Georgia, has been making headlines for not only helming a grab-and-go hot dog restaurant at such a young age, but actually achieving success with it, even in the midst of a pandemic that's been catastrophic for the restaurant industry. Lines have formed outside his 200-square-foot storefront since the opening of the brick-and-mortar location in October, and as CBS News points out, Wright's vegan hot dogs were given special recognition by PETA. This kid even has more Instagram followers than you or I could ever hope to gain. And he's still a full-time student.
CBS details the wunderkind's schedule: "Mason arrives at the restaurant around 7 a.m., homeschools for three hours via Zoom, spends one hour setting up the kitchen before doors open at 11 a.m., and keeps up the routine Tuesday through Saturday until the restaurant closes at 6 p.m." (Were any of us more than half awake at 7 a.m. as teenagers?) It's the culmination of a business model he has been tinkering with since 2015, when he was inspired by hot dog vendors in New York City, and it's a goal that his family has supported every step of the way. His parents supplied 20% of the startup costs, his mother helped fill out the paperwork, his father delivers supplies, and his sister shares the lease and helps with day-to-day operations. All of them pitched in to fix up the shop for its grand opening.
"His drive is very, very inspiring," Mason's sister, Mary-Pat Hector, told Atlanta NPR Local station WABE. "I can truly say that Mason is a visionary. I would have never thought that opening up a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic would be fiscally responsible-however, it has been a good investment, and I am happy to support in any way that I can."
Most importantly, the hot dogs sound pretty good. Mason's personal favorite is the FIRE Storm, topped with chopped chicken and buffalo sauce. I'm personally intrigued by the Ultimate Dog, whose menu description is simply, "EVERYTHING!" Do we have any readers in the Atlanta metro area who can speak to the excellence of Mason's Super Dogs? If not, that's fine; I'm sure that by the time I make it down to Georgia this kid will have a few Michelin stars.