Mason Wright was 9 years old walking through Times Square in 2015 with his older sister when he noticed long lines wrapped around several hot dog carts. If he could reinvent the idea back home in the South, he said, he'd never have to beg his parents for an allowance again.

"I knew I could take the business concept and improve it," said Mason, who is now 14 years old and the owner of Mason's Super Dogs, his grab-and-go hot dog restaurant in Stonecrest, Georgia. He opened the shop in October, making him the youngest restaurant owner in the state.

Mason's vision has transformed from carts to a 200-square-foot corner restaurant serving over 400 customized hot dogs and vegan dogs with fresh toppings each day. Take the Firestorm, for example; a chopped chicken dog with buffalo sauce, or the Professor Dilly, which is served inside a jumbo-sized pickle. PETA recognized Mason's vegan dogs as some of the best in the country.

Mason and another full-time employee prepare the food and manage the kitchen during regular business hours. His sister, mother and aunt help operate the point-of-sale system and hand out orders to the customers. "Business has been great because the community has come out, shown how supportive they are, buying multiple hot dogs at a time and being really patient with us as we operate the restaurant," Mason said.

Mason arrives at the restaurant around 7 a.m., homeschools for three hours via Zoom, spends one hour setting up the kitchen before doors open at 11 a.m., and keeps up the routine Tuesday through Saturday until the restaurant closes at 6 p.m.