In his travels as director of culinary services for the Bocage Racquet Club, Stephen Hightower has come to know a good hot dog—and a good business opportunity—when he sees one.
Hightower first came to appreciate Frankie’s Dawg House, located off Perkins Road on Cedardale Drive, when it opened about a year ago. He soon after became friends with Frankie’s owner, Brian Kindl, a doctor who hails from Cleveland, Ohio. Hightower says Kindl couldn’t be at Frankie’s full-time because of his day job, and business there had fallen off a bit as curiosity waned after the initial opening.
“I was actually doing a little consulting work for him to get it rolling again,” Hightower says. “And that’s how I got in the picture.”
On Aug. 20, Hightower and his business partner Brian Reames, a marketing manager of MillerCoors in Virginia, finalized a purchase of Frankie’s making them majority owners. Kindl remains a minority owner, Hightower says.
“I thought that was a great idea,” says Hightower, “just because I knew there was a market for it.”
Hightower has revamped the menu at Frankie’s away from celebrity-inspired items like The Chuck Norris (“You know if we ever do make it, I don’t need those people coming after me,” he says) and has added new menu items such as shakes and hamburger sliders. Hightower has also added a Deep South Dog, made with homemade chili and cheese, slathered with Wowee Cajun mayonnaise (made in Cutoff), and topped with homemade pork cracklins. More patio and indoor seating has also been added.
“We just made it a lot more friendly,” he says.
Frankie’s recently had to close for about a week following a grease fire, but is now back open for business. The closure occurred during Hurricane Isaac, which also brought a looter, Hightower says—who was caught by patrolling police officers—trying to break into the cash register.
“Our first week wasn’t the best,” Hightower jokes.
