With spring training underway and baseball season fast approaching, it is only appropriate to warm up with some traditional American hot dogs. On second thought, “traditional” may not be the most suitable word choice for this particular ball-game favorite. The Pleasantville Dawg House throws a curve ball to take the hot dog game to a whole new level.
“The original store is in Dobbs Ferry,” said co-owner of the Pleasantville location Brian Hennesy. “It was Rob’s brain child.”
Rob Dubilier, Manhattan chef and founder of the original Dawg House worked alongside his childhood friends Hennesy, Jeff Jee, Richard Zackovich and Marc Baily to open a restaurant which offers 27 kinds of “specialty dawgs,” all of which were thought up by the pals themselves.
“We would all hang out and barbecue after softball games and other activities,” recalled Hennesy. “Rob and his business partner would throw creations on the hot dogs and test them on friends.”
With each new dog came another rave review. The creations became recipes and were compiled to create the menu for the Dobbs Dawghouse.
Dubilier and the guys opened the Dobbs Ferry location in Nov. 2011. With Rob’s go ahead, Hennesy, Zackovich and Bailey set out on a search for a second location. College based towns similar to Pleasantville were considered but the “small town feel” and “community oriented” aspects of Pleasantville are what sealed the deal on the additional locale.
On Dec. 10, 2012 the Pleasantville Dawg House opened its doors to reveal sleek countertops complete with built in LED lights, bright red and two-toned gray walls, and a laid-back bar atmosphere, inviting those of all ages to sample its creations.
“It’s different,” said junior information technology major Matt Oelsener. “It feels like a college town type of place, which there are not many of around here.”
Pleasantville is desolate of hang out spots for Pace students. Youngsters that occupy the pizza joints and wholesome families that enjoy brunch at local diners don’t necessarily contribute to the college-town feel, which leaves students to slim pickings between Michael’s Tavern, Paulie’s Bar & Grille or the Pace campus itself. The Dawg House adds a modern element to the otherwise ordinary suburb by appealing to everybody. “No Dawgs Allowed” (made of soy protein) and Turkey Dawgs are offered alternatives for those who opt out of the all-beef “Naked Dawg”.
“At first I just went there because it was different from the typical Rocky’s, McDonalds and Lucios,” said masters of public administration graduate student and Martin Hall Resident’s Director Vinnie Birkenmeyer. “But now I love it! It’s so cheap and it’s on the flex dollars.”
The Dawg House’s instant popularity required very little organized advertising.
“We’ve done almost no marketing to date,” said Hennesy. “What we have done has been through the Jacob Burns Theater, after they approached us, and local sports teams.”
Word of mouth has been the promotional method of choice for the Dawg House. Although it’s the innovative appearance that draws in passersby, the Dawgs themselves are what have recent regulars coming back for more.
“We have Dawgs ranging from savory to sweet, to anything in between,” said Hennesy.
“The last one I had was the Cobb Salad Dawg,” said Birkenmeyer, who often jokes that he is the eatery’s biggest fan. “Before that I had the Dessert Dawg which has chocolate and peanut butter, which sounds crazy, but works!”
Don’t worry – you can still order the basic hot dog with mustard and relish, if you’re into that sort of thing.