Frankly, the Little Hot Dog Wagon’s claim to fame is its kraut

Would you order a hot dog — a Sabrett’s, at that — mainly to savor the kraut served on top of it?

You might be tempted to do so at the Little Hot Dog Wagon, Dawn Demry’s new shop in the food court of the Fashion District Philadelphia. The wagon is an extension of Demry’s popular cart on the campuses of City University of New York and Columbia University, her alma mater.

The menu items pop under Demry’s sweet-and-zesty kraut, which she sells by the jar at the stand and through supermarkets, Amazon, and other retailers in the New York metro area. “It’s not sauerkraut,” she is quick to say about the condiment, which contains cabbage, green peppers, onions, celery seeds, pimientos, sugar, vinegar, olive oil, and water.

Demry began selling her kraut, long a hit of family get-togethers, six years ago. Originally a social worker who led internships and career counseling at CUNY, she decided to try her hand at vending after a series of layoffs.

An uncle had built a hot dog wagon he never used, but it took some convincing to get him to hand it over. “I had been after this wagon forever, like, ‘Uncle Roy, please let me use it,’” she said. “Probably after about the fourth or the fifth time I was laid off, I couldn’t even get the words out of my mouth when he said, ‘Go ahead. Take it.’”

Demry began selling her kraut-topped hot dogs, and within a year, added a second wagon. Following repeated customer requests, she started selling the kraut in mason jars, and after learning how to make it shelf stable, found distribution through local retail outlets. Her expansion to Philadelphia is part of her plans to grow nationally.

The hot dogs, naturally, are the best sellers. The Philly cheesesteak ($12) stuffs a Sabrett inside a roll topped with steak, grilled peppers and onions, and cheese. There are also turkey and vegan hot dogs and sausages, beef/turkey/veggie sausages, and a “salmon burger” that’s a generous filet of wild-caught salmon topped, of course, with kraut. For dessert, there are vegan cookies and carrot cake.

Demry sees a relationship between her old career and her food business. “Those are transferable skills,” she said. “I’m still helping people.”

The Little Hot Dog Wagon, in the food court of the Fashion District, 901 Market St. Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Last customer is served 30 minutes before closing.