A large, 17-foot-wide hot dog ““ complete with mustard
““ may soon be on its way to Westwood.
The Tail O’ the Pup hot dog stand, with its
hot-dog-inspired storefront, has been on San Vicente Boulevard in
West Hollywood since 1986, after development of a luxury hotel
forced the stand to move from its original site at the corner of
nearby La Cienega Boulevard and Beverly Place.
But owner Dennis Blake, 53, who recently took over the business
from his father, Eddie Blake, must now find a new location for the
nearly 60-year-old hot dog stand, after a development company
acquired its current site from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Regent Properties, which now owns the land on which the Pup is
located, may move the stand to Broxton Avenue in Westwood Village,
although there is no specific time line for the move and
negotiations are ongoing, Blake said.
Blake said he would prefer to keep the Pup at its current
location, because he has developed a steady number of loyal
customers while still managing to attract new ones.
But he is open to change.
“We’re game for new places,” he said.
And to eat a Tail O’ the Pup hot dog, loyal customers are
willing to travel.
“I’ll follow those guys wherever they go,”
said John Brambila, 50.
Brambila has been visiting the hot dog stand for the past 35
years and knows the owners well.
The Pasadena resident ordered hot dogs for his family Tuesday.
He waited for his food by a sign hanging on the outside of the
Pup’s wall, featuring the owners posing with prominent
celebrity patrons such as Ice Cube, Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Dillon,
Lionel Richie and Verne Troyer (a.k.a “Austin
Powers'” Mini-Me).
For others, Tuesday marked their first experience at the
Pup.
West Hollywood resident Ann Marie, 37, has lived in the area for
10 years and has frequently driven by the stand while running
errands, but had never stopped to get a hot dog.
After reading a newspaper article about the Pup’s possible
departure from the area, Marie stopped to order a Boston Celtic hot
dog, which comes with baked beans, mustard and onions.
Marie said the stand’s potential move is indicative of a
larger change the city of West Hollywood is undergoing.
“The city’s changing. When a city grows, little
things like this (stand) are displaced,” she said.
“It’s progress, but it’s sad, too.”
Westwood residents David and Maria Radell, who have been
ordering Pup hot dogs for 30 years, are skeptical of the
development company’s motives for wanting to move the Pup so
quickly. David Radell said Blake was told by Regency developers to
move the stand within three weeks, despite the fact that the terms
of Blake’s potential lease in Westwood are still being
negotiated.
If the Pup does end up in Westwood Village, the Radells said new
Westwood customers and the Pup would both benefit.
“There are no good hot dogs in Westwood. I’m
positive that (the Pup) would do great,” David Radell
said.
But the retired professor thinks that if the stand moves it will
lose an important part of its appeal ““ the atmosphere.
He said he enjoys the scenery around the stand as much as the
food.
The Radells eat at the Pup at least twice a week, sometimes
sitting for hours after a meal to admire the scenic Hollywood Hills
to the north and the facades of the tall buildings to the
south.
Radell said the Pup’s location offers a rural feel in the
middle of a bustling business district, something that could not be
duplicated if the stand were to move to Westwood.
But what will not change is the familiarity with which Blake
treats his customers, Radell said.
“If (Blake) serves you twice, the next time you come
he’ll remember who you are and what you ordered,” he
explained.
Maria Radell said an e-mail campaign is being put together in an
attempt to persuade the developers from moving the Pup.
But whether the Pup stays at its current location or not, the
quality of the food will stay the same.
“I was married to a French chef for 20 years; I know good
food. This is well-made, good food,” said Laurel Canyon
resident Nancy Frank, as she finished munching on a hot dog.