An iconic piece of roadside architecture, the hot dog stand, is set to reopen this month in Bailey. The new owner, John Wallace, has a background in the local restaurant business — he’s the former owner of William’s Tavern in Uptown — and hot dogs are part of his family’s heritage.
His father moved the family to Colorado from Oklahoma so he could open a Lum’s restaurant in Denver back in 1969. “Their claim to fame was hot dogs steamed in beer,” Wallace said. “My dad saved some of the old menus. Hot dogs were 85 cents.”
But these days, the popular dogs are gourmet, and Wallace plans to use wurst from a source favored by another upscale wiener vendor, Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs.
His interest in buying the retro diner stemmed from a passion for . The property, with its scenic views, has room for a brewery near the hot dog stand.
“There’s a neat little grassy area with picnic tables that would make a little local bierstube, like in Germany,” he said. “But that’s off in the future.”
Right now he’s focused on getting the Coney Island Boardwalk up and running, which includes meeting some unexpected expenses, including servicing more than half of the refrigerators and the possible need to buy a $2,000 water testing machine. He’s launched a to help raise money, and hopes to open Coney Island Boardwalk by mid to late June.
He’ll be selling the Durango Dog, which he describes as “an elk jalapeño brat topped with poblano-corn relish and a chipotle sour cream sauce,” along with items like the traditional Coney Island dog with chili sauce and onions. He also plans to use local products such as Elevation Ketchup and Merf’s Mustard.
The place is located at 10 Old Stagecoach Rd., Bailey.
