Nasir Alhuttam, a Scarborough local who has run a hot dog stand on the UTSC campus since 2006, here speaks about his motivations for running the stand and reflects on his campus experience thus far.
View Transcript
0:02
When I first decided to open my own business, and I see that you know, University of Toronto in Scarborough campus give me the opportunity to open my own.
0:11
Before I do that, I did a little bit research about the business I’m going to present it for, with the students and also staff and professors.
0:22
I did search first before I uh…so when I did that search it was, it was very, very positive. And everybody was excited. And everybody was friendly, so that’s make me very happy and motivate me to
0:35
open my own business, and even though it took six months to approve that (Hamza and Nasir laugh) It’s worth it.
0:41
What motivated me most to open my own business and look for opportunity are the customers I’m dealing with, so the students, overall. The students, they were very polite, and that motivated me to open my own.
0:57
And so I decided to look for a spot so thanks God, the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, they gave me the opportunity.
1:04
The people I served I mean, about seven years ago, huh? They’re still coming.
1:11
Some people, they already graduated seven, eight years ago, and they got married, they have children, but they are still coming to eat at my hot dog stand. And that makes me proud. And also that makes me very happy to see them coming back.
1:30
And they won’t come back, they won’t think of you even after they graduate, unless there is something good in it.
1:38
So I built also my stand as a very family, um…family-oriented stand. Just any, they’ll feel very happy coming there, even just to talk.
1:47
They just miss coming there, even to solve riddles or something. It’s not just you know, money money. I build my stand, like you know, it’s not only my stand. It’s everybody’s stand.
