As befits a restaurant whose fans include Barack Obama, Pittsburgh hot dog shop Franktuary isn’t content to just have a grand opening day, but instead is holding an entire week of events for the launch of its new location in Market Square this week.
Situated between McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts on Forbes Avenue, at the former Fat Tommy’s location, the Market Square Franktuary has a full bar, with craft beers and local cider on tap, as well as a Wigle Whiskey cocktail and a comprehensive spirits list.
Tom Tobitsch and Megan Lindsey have come a long way since opening their first restaurant, then called Hot Dogma, in the basement of a Downtown church back in 2004. They changed the name to Franktuary in 2006 and started peddling their dogs from their now-beloved food truck in 2010.
In 2013, the pair opened what’s now their main location in Lawrenceville. Since then, they’ve been named to dozens of “best of” lists and have been featured on the Food Network. And earlier this year, Franktuary earned a Gold certification from Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurants, recognizing its “commitment to managing the social and environmental impact of its operations.”
Franktuary is very, well, frank, about what it calls its “food values,” which means no diet soda, no high fructose corn syrup in any of its food and locally-sourced ingredients wherever possible. And at its Market Square location, Franktuary is very keen on its potential customer needs, and will attempt to have no more than a five-minute wait for food orders during the lunch rush.
In addition to drink specials all week, the Market Square store will have a daily “Poutine Party,” and will host its Trivia with Dr. Drew on Wednesday night. For the full list of grand opening events, check out Franktuary’s website.