Hot summer for hot dog stands
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It’s become almost cliché with business owners
in this the summer economic hard times for Americans, but when
asked how business is, almost all of them say, “The people are
here. They’re still coming, but they’re just not spending the
money the way they used to.”
Everyone has their own school of thought on this, but for two
local guys, at least, business couldn’t be better.
They also share a common theme: They own and operate hot dog
stands.
“This is my best year, easy,” said Mike “Maui” of Maui’s Dog
House in North Wildwood, who is in his ninth year. “Where else
can you feed an entire family good food for less than 50 bucks?
And the economy is definitely not helping the regular
restaurants. People want a good bang for their buck. Families
are definitely being more discriminating with their spending.”
In their sixth year are Mary and Tom Snyder, of Hot Dog Tommy’s
in Cape May.
“Just today, a woman said to me, ‘Is that all it costs?’ They’re
getting $20 and $30 bills for a family of four, and they would
be spending more for spaghetti or pizza. The high-end places are
still getting their people, and the cheaper place s like us are
doing well. It’s the people in the middle who are getting
squeezed. People here are spending a little more frugally, and
our price point is allowing them to do that.”
“Plus,” adds Maui, “it’s not garbage food. They’re hot dogs,
yes, but they’re good quality hot dogs. Tommy has a good product
and so do I.”
Maui makes his own hot dogs using a recipe handed down from his
grandfather Joseph, who did a World War II tour of duty in
Austria and brought home a recipe for German frankfurter made
with beef, pork and veal. Customers can also choose a veal frank
or a veggie dog. He also makes his own hand-cut fries.
Tommy’s uses Berks brand hot dogs, known as the official dog of
Hershey Park, and Mary makes all the signature toppings and
potatoes from scratch.
“Mary does all the cooking,” Tommy declares. “When it comes to
food, all I make are reservations -- and Mary says I even screw
that up.”
Each businessman said things have been rocking ever since the
tourist season began.
“The Fourth of July just floored me. Even Memorial Day weekend
was really crowded, and I hate to say it this way, but it’s a
different class of people here now,” Maui said. “There are more,
nice families around. Maybe the condo (boom) swing is starting
to take effect.”
While cost-conscious customers are definitely behind Tommy’s
successful season, his location just off the beach doesn’t hurt.
“When the weather is warm like this we get a significant punch,
and when people early in the season were saying (business) was
soft, we were getting a lot of locals on their way to work,” he
said. “We were feeding cooks and chefs before they started their
shifts, and we still rely on the touristas, but the market has
been changing too. Now we’re feeding whole houses of people.”
Tommy said they can go through anywhere from 700 to 1,000 hot
dogs a day, most of them covered with Miss Mary’s Special Chili
with real cheddar cheese on top. A very unique menu item is the
Potato Tornado served in a cup. A parfait of mashed potatoes
topped with chili, cheddar cheese, salsa, banana peppers and
sour cream.
Maui’s has a menu filled with unique items, including the
best-seller Dressed Dog for men, topped with homemade chili, raw
onions and spicy brown mustard (add cheese for the Texas Cheese
Dog), and the Soprano for women, made with baby spinach sautéed
with garlic and white wine and topped with extra sharp
provolone. New this year are the Belgian pomme frites, which is
a wonderful way to describe a black-tie-only French fry.
“I was in Bordeaux for a wine expo (Mike sells wine for
Spelletich Cellars out of Napa Valley, Calif.) and I found this
little place doing these pomme frites, and I just had to add
this to our menu.
Mike still hand-cut fresh Idaho potatoes and then soaks them in
cold water and vinegar, “which pulls all the starch out of the
potato,” he said.
Then he double-cooks them in peanut oil, with the first batch
cooking the inside of the potato, and then he gives them a
second shot before serving for the crispiness.
“We’re going through so many batches this summer,” said Mike. “I
don’t know, people are saying how bad things are (business
wise), but we’re having our best summer ever. It’s good people
looking for a good deal on good food, I guess.”
“I try not to overanalyze these things, who’s doing well and who
isn’t,” added Tommy. “I guess I don’t want to jinx a good
thing.”
Hotdog Tommy's
Cape May
319 Beach Dr
609-884-8388
Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Customer favorites: Chili Cheese Dog (Miss Mary’s Chili, shredded
cheddar), Doc Dog (Miss Mary’s chili, mustard, onions), Jersey Slaw Dog
(Miss Mary’s cranberry cole slaw, yellow mustard), Slaw Dog (Miss Mary’s
cole slaw, yellow mustard), Chippy Dog (tangy red pickled pepper relish,
onions, potato chips), Potato Tornado (mashed potatoes, Miss Mary’s
chili sauce, cheddar cheese, salsa, banana peppers, sour cream in a
cup), Thunder Storm (mashed potatoes, layered with vegetarian baked
beans, cheddar cheese, chopped onions in a cup). Frozen Slushies (cola,
cherry, Stewart’s root beer, lime, orange cream and blue raspberry), and
Breakfast Scrambles in a cup.
Maui’s Dog House
806 New Jersey Ave.
North Wildwood
609-846-0444
Customer favorites: Dressed Dog (spicy ground beef chili, raw
onions, spicy brown mustard), Soprano (baby spinach sautéed with garlic
and white wine and topped with extra sharp provolone), Texas Cheese
(spicy ground beef chili, raw onions, spicy mustard, cheddar cheese),
Dressed Horse (spicy ground beef chili, raw onions and killer
horseradish mustard), Dress in Chicago (killer horseradish mustard, raw
onions, pickles, hot peppers, tomatoes and celery salt); Fresh cut fries
(with cheese, chili and cheese, bacon and cheese, jerk seasoning, or
crab seasoning),
Rob Seitzinger can be e-mailed
at seitz[at]catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by
calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Check out his Cape Cuisine food blog