NEWS & EVENTS

http://www.enterprisenews.com/articles/2006/01/16/news/news/news07.txt

Hot dog! Restaurant opens in Taunton

By Terence J. Downing, Enterprise staff writer

TAUNTON — Sandy Randon of West Bridgewater is taking hot dogs to a new level.

Randon has opened the first area franchise of New England Hot Dog Co., a full-service family restaurant that specializes in gourmet hot dogs.

The 1,500-square-foot restaurant offers 14 kinds of hot dogs and more than 50 possible toppings. With partners Mark Montalto of Marshfield and Todd Darling of Boxford, Randon plans to open six other restaurants, including one in Plymouth.

"Taunton's a great location," said Randon, 45, an Easton native.

The new restaurant is located at the Northwoods Crossing Shopping Center at 2093 Bay St. at the intersection of Interstate 495 and next to BJ's Wholesale Club.

The shopping center owners, KGI, are planning another 60,000 square feet of retail development, Randon said.

His site was originally targeted by Starbucks, but Randon struck a lease deal first.

Richard L. Shafer, executive director of the Taunton Development Corp., said it is good to see restaurants opening in the shopping center to serve the 6,700 people who work in the adjacent Myles Standish Industrial Park.

Randon said he is planning to petition city officials for a permit to construct a drive-through window. He is not seeking a liquor license, but may seek one for his next location.

The general manager of the Taunton restaurant is Mitch Reed of Taunton. Randon married Reed's sister, Patti, a nurse.

Randon comes from a computer background and decided to expand into the restaurant field.

New England Hot Dog Co., headquartered in Beverly, offers gourmet hot dogs with everything from the traditional sauerkraut, beans and mustard to bacon, jalapeno, guacamole, roasted peppers, cheddar cheese, Buffalo sauce and other toppings.

Customers can choose from 25 menu combinations on 14 different types of dogs or create their own Smorgasdog with any or all of 50 toppings. There are turkey dogs, chicken dogs, vegetarian dogs, bratwurst, knockwurst, kielbasa, kosher dogs, linguica, sausage, pork and beef dogs, natural casing or skinless dogs and more, all offered on a toasted or steamed New England style bun.

For dessert, New England Hot Dog Co. features more than 20 flavors of Brigham's ice cream, a 90-year-old New England brand.

The Taunton store features the "Dog Pound," an area for kids and birthday parties and there are other comforts and conveniences, such as a plasma television and free WiFi Internet access.

This is the second New England Hot Dog Co. restaurants to open this year. The first store opened in Marblehead last May. Third and fourth locations are planned for Everett and Norwalk, Conn.

"We offer an alternative to other quick-serve restaurants," said Richard Saxe, chief executive officer of Marblehead, who along with Eric Levy and Thomas Pass of Swampscott and Stephen Saxe of Marblehead represent the management team of New England Hot Dog Co.

New England Hot Dog recently signed its first area development agreement with Liberty Dawg of Norfolk, which calls for the opening of five New England Hot Dog Company restaurants over the next three years. Liberty Dawg plans to open restaurants in the Norwood, Foxboro, Needham, Franklin and Walpole areas