When you hear the word ‘haute,’ what comes to mind? High fashion? Fashion week in Milan, Italy? How about hot dogs?
Business partners Jim Martin and Jeff Glosson hope their artisan hot dogs change the way the community thinks when they hear the word ‘haute.’
“When we came up with the gourmet sausage and hot dog concept, we thought ‘haute,’ like fashion,” Martin said. “So we wanted to make sure that while we would serve traditional dogs that we also thought out of the box, like our Chihuahua that uses a chorizo as the main protein and really does taste like a street taco.”
“I took my experience growing up cooking with my mom and used some of the recipes she shared to make up some original ideas for hot dogs and sausage toppings,” Glosson said. “Everyone has had a hot dog, but not everyone has had one with homemade chili and coleslaw like I grew up with in North Carolina.”
Martin turned 40 years old last year and always wanted to own his own business.
“Starting a food truck was the most optimal way to enter the restaurant business from an initial investment perspective as well as a time commitment since I have maintained my full-time job in the financial services industry,” Martin said. “Also, having a business partner like Jeff that I have known for almost 20 years made it a no-brainer.”
“Having eaten from dozens of area food trucks, I felt that I could do this and carve out a niche in this local market,” Glosson said.
With the rise of the local brewery scene over the last couple of years, Martin and Glosson really wanted to partner with a local brewery to help them keep their customers longer by giving them a food option.
“At Leaven Brewery, we partnered with them to create a bratwurst that was cooked in their red ale so that their customers could eat their beer,” Martin said. “What’s better than a beer and a brat? Also, we are looking for a local canine group, whether it be a foster group or local shelter, that we can support with a percentage of our tips going forward.”
To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/LoveHauteDogs or call Martin at 919-593-5171. Haute Dogs can be found every Monday night from 6-9 p.m. at Leaven Brewing, located at 11238 Boyette Rd. in Riverview.
Haute Dogs will also be one of the food trucks featured at The World’s Largest Food Truck Rally at Coachman Park in Clearwater on Saturday, November 30.
