New York Hot Dog King • 1914

Vietnam veteran Dan Rossi parks his meticulously clean cart at the base of The Met's grand steps, serving all-beef franks topped with spicy brown mustard, sauerkraut, and red onion sauce. Once the Pushcart King with 499 permits across the city, Rossi lost his empire to regulatory changes in the 1990s and rebuilt from scratch at this coveted Upper East Side spot in 2007. To protect his prime location, he sleeps in his van beside the cart most nights—a testament to grit that's earned him a Netflix documentary and worldwide fame.