BLOGS

Dog gonnit! After today, Wenatchee’s favorite hot dog stands will most likely be gone forever.

Hot Dog A La Cart, the outdoor wiener stands run by the guy in the hot dog hat, will take down its tents, box up its buns and head south after two years of roadside sales that often had customers salivating.

“Really, they’d be drooling as they walked up,” chuckled owner Bill Thompson, who with wife Colleen owned and staffed the two local stands at opposite ends of the city. “The smell of grilled onions? It got ‘em every time.”

The Thompsons will relocate to Salem, Ore., to be nearer to Colleen’s parents. Heck, the pair already have a job (it starts Wednesday) to manage a mini-storage business, something they’ve done before.

“Leaving is a very sad thing for us,” said Bill. “We’ve loved it here. The people, the scenery and, oh wow, the climate. We lived in San Diego and never had sunshine like this place does.”

Bill said that in two years of business they’ve sold thousands of dogs, many to customers that arrived for their almost-daily frankfurter fix. The big honkin’ German sausage dog led the way in sales, followed by the Polish dog and then the regular dog.

The secret to hot dog success?

Bill waxed wisely about wieners: “We start with high quality dogs. Then we boil and steam them using a secret formula that adds flavors and keeps them juicy. Then we put them on the perfect bun — steamed just right — and add grilled onions, if the customer wants them.”

Please, dear God, can’t this hot dog heaven be saved? Maybe, said Bill. The business is for sale — tents, carts, mustard squirters — but a buyer would have to contact the couple soon. In just a day or two, the dogs will be in the van and ready to ride out of town.

Details: Hot Dog A La Cart shuts down at 2:30 p.m. today (Jan. 13) at locations in the parking lots of Stan’s Merry Mart and The Windmill Restaurant. For info, call Bill or Colleen Thompson at 885-5507.

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