The Custard Stand: Marketing Campaigns for Restaurants

Dee and Angie Cowger continued a family tradition and opened The Custard Stand in 1991 as a take-out dairy bar in Webster Springs, West Virginia. The Cowgers used a century-old recipe created by Angie's grandfather as the chili for the hot dogs. For more than a decade, customers repeatedly asked where they could buy Custard Stand Hot Dog Chili. In 2003, the Cowgers, who are long-time entrepreneurs, converted the three-bay car wash behind the restaurant into a USDA-approved production facility and launched Custard Stand Food Products, their second business. In February 2016, the Cowgers pitched the hot dog chili and chili soup on ABC's award-winning reality show, SHARK TANK. While the Cowgers didn't get a deal, the exposure and praise from the SHARKS dramatically increased retail and online sales. Billionaire Mark Cuban said the couple is living proof of the American Dream.