Dogs have been let loose in the Scenic City. Hot dogs, that is.
Susan Paden has expanded her wiener business after opening Good Dog on Frazier Avenue a year ago. She’s now selling them out of a roving hot dog cart, too — Good Dog on the Run — on the streets of downtown Chattanooga.
“The street-cart presence in Chattanooga is a missing link,” Ms. Paden said. “I’m just so excited about it. By spring and summer, maybe we’ll have more carts. I could be wrong, but I think this is something people want. Good Dog doesn’t need a second set location. I think it needs to be mobile.”
Good Dog may be found almost anywhere, as locations change each week, but what Ms. Paden said she’s working toward is consistency. She’ll be in the same place each day of the week from 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. For instance, every Monday, she will be in one set location. On Tuesdays, she’ll be somewhere else.
“That way, people will know it’s Good Dog day,” she said.
Through Facebook, Ms. Paden is finding out where people want the cart to be located.
“I’m asking them to let us know,” she said. “I feel like we’ve opened a second store.”
Matt Bohannon recently stopped by the cart for a hot dog and said it’s a great idea.
“I think it’s something this town needs,” he said. “There are always a lot of business-type people walking from one building to another downtown who don’t have time for lunch. This is perfect for them.”
In addition to her weekday business, Ms. Paden is taking the cart to parties and other functions. “We’re even doing a wedding reception,” she said. “We can totally do those kinds of things.”
But in order to do so, Ms. Paden had to get a license for her mobile push-cart unit from the Hamilton County Health Department. According to Lowe Wilkins, department program supervisor, push carts must be inspected, just as are restaurants.
“And the only potentially hazardous food you can have on a push cart is frankfurters, which must be kept in a refrigerator in a permitted commissary (or restaurant) until they are transferred to the push cart,” he said. “Approved handwipes must also be on the cart.”
Ms. Paden’s first inspection garnered her a perfect score of 100.
The cart comes equipped with a grill, so hot dogs can be prepared in the same way they are at the restaurant. And it is packed with all the same toppings offered at the Frazier Avenue eatery.
“You can have everything from our barbecue dog to our Carolina slaw dog,” Ms. Paden said.