Pinkies to open ‘Pinkies Doghouse’ hot dog eatery

BINGHAMTON (WBNG) -- The Pinkies restaurants have slowly made a name for themselves throughout the community, but everything is about to come full circle for owner Dan Napierala.

His first venture into the food business in the mid-90s was a hotdog cart. Now, in just two weeks’ time, Pinkies will be adding the “Doghouse.”

“Pinkies Doghouse, I don’t know it’s the quintessential American food: The hot dog,” Napierala said. “Back to my original thing, I started with a hotdog cart and when I traveled around, a couple of my favorite spots to hit are hotdog stands around the east coast.”

Napierala wants his Pinkies restaurants to be a destination, a reason people pull off the highway. He said one of his favorite things to do when traveling is to stop by hotdog stands in different states. Pinkies Doghouse will have hot dogs that represent states around the east coast.

And he made sure not to forget about his Candian customers.

“For our Canadian visitors, one of the specialties we are doing at the doghouse will be poutine,” Napierala said. “A lot of people around here may or may not be familiar with it, but it’s stuff piled on french fries.”

The support from the community has left him speechless.

“I can’t say enough, I really can’t say enough,” Napierala said. “It’s just people coming in and we can provide them food and make them happy. That’s the best feeling in the world.”

Napierala said he is excited about the vibe of the Doghouse because it will be different from Pinkies BBQ and Pinkies Bakery. He will get to show his weird side with pop art, decorations and a “oreate your own hot dog.”

Although they do not have a set date to open, Pinkies Doghouse will be opening up where Pinkies Bakery used to be, at 1237 Upper Front St. in Binghamton.

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