#37 Sean Porter | From Tour Bus to Hot Dog Empire: The Daddy Behind the Dogs

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Sean Porter - better known as Big Daddy - spent years touring with acts like Cage the Elephant, Elle King, Lifehouse, and American Idol. After one too many late nights with nothing but gas station snacks and cold pizza, he had a simple idea: start serving up real food to the late-night crowd. That idea turned into Daddy’s Dogs - a now-iconic Nashville brand with carts, shops, stadium booths, and a huge local following. Named Best Hotdog and Best Late Night Eats year after year, Daddy’s Dogs has become a cultural staple in Music City. With bars and new concepts on the horizon, Sean is building a business with soul, scale, and serious flavor.

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The Accident That Started It All

In 2014, while home between tours, Porter broke his leg in a scooter accident. Stuck in recovery, with months away from work and plenty of time to think, a friend suggested he get into the hot dog business. The idea stuck—especially after Porter realized downtown Nashville had a late-night food gap.

“I thought, What’s in my head could actually work here,” he said. Soon, he and a longtime friend from high school were running a single cart out of Porter’s garage. They sourced the best hot dogs through blind taste tests, turned the garage into a makeshift commercial kitchen, and started small—rotating shifts so one could tour while the other worked the cart.

Building the Brand

Even in the earliest days, Porter understood that a standout brand could be just as important as a standout menu. With the help of a close friend-turned-designer, they created the now-iconic yellow branding featuring Porter’s face as a “pirate flag.” The goal? Make sure Daddy’s Dogs stood out in a crowd of generic street vendors.

Consistency became a core value. Whether you ordered on Broadway at 2 a.m. or in Franklin during the day, the experience—and the quality—would be the same.

Growing the Empire

From one cart, Daddy’s Dogs expanded to multiple street locations, private catering, and eventually brick-and-mortar shops across Nashville. They also took the business on the road—serving at music festivals, NASCAR races, and events in over 20 states. Today, Porter manages around 80 employees across five locations and numerous event partnerships.

“I like being in the thick of it,” Porter said. “I’m probably still more involved in the day-to-day than most owners my size—but I want my team to know I’m there with them.”

Lessons from the Road

Porter credits much of his business mindset to his touring days. As a road manager, he learned how to coordinate complex logistics, handle budgets, manage personalities, and keep morale high—skills that translated directly to running a growing food business.

Touring also taught him the power of relationships. Many of his first catering gigs came from old road friends who needed better-than-pizza aftershow food. “That camaraderie is priceless,” he said.

A Willingness to Take Risks

One of Porter’s proudest—and wildest—moments came during COVID. With live events shut down, he staged the first public concert in Tennessee after lockdown: a rooftop show broadcast to car radios in his parking lot. The lineup included future Grammy-winner Lainey Wilson, and the event landed in Rolling Stone and Time.

Expanding the Vision

In 2023, Porter opened Gramps Garage, a cozy East Nashville bar designed to be the opposite of Daddy’s Dogs’ growing “monster” of a business—small, neighborhood-focused, and simple. It’s proof that his entrepreneurial vision isn’t just about scale, but about building authentic spaces he’d want to hang out in himself.

As for Daddy’s Dogs, Porter is still deciding whether to take it national or keep it a regional icon. Either way, his focus remains on authenticity, generosity, and consistency. “I just want to be known as a good guy who provided opportunity and stayed true to himself,” he said.

The Takeaway for Entrepreneurs

Porter’s journey shows that you don’t need a polished start to build something lasting. Start small, stay authentic, take calculated risks, and never underestimate the relationships you build along the way. Or, in Porter’s words:

“Make it fair for both sides. Be open, be honest, follow through—and don’t try to pull one over on anyone.”