Hot Dogs, Come Get your Hot Dogs! — Lucky Louie’s Beer and Wieners
Being in the restaurant business for 20 years gave her lots of experience with not only food, but interacting people to find out what they enjoy. Katie did not pursue the restaurant business she said, “It just happened,” and was still finishing school when the store opened. She would be doing her homework at the counter while customers came in and out. Katie was going to school for criminal justice and would have gone to law school, but decided this needed more attention. Lucky Louie’s officially opened in 2011, and it was not all that it is now as it originally started as a six pack carry out beer store in the 300 square foot building.
When the Liquor Control Board came to her saying that if she was going to have a carry out store, she was going to need to have food to sell. Pretty much automatically she went hot dogs and kept them in the freezer in case someone got hungry with a little pot of water, a microwave, and a pancake griddle maneuvered to the wall. This was until she thought, “Oh shit, maybe this will work out.” From there she knocked down a wall and made more space for people to sit and enjoy the hot dogs and beer. The name however, was the previous owner’s name which was Lou and her mom bought the store from him, and it also has a casino reference in since the casino is just across the street.
In the restaurant she used to work at they used to make creative burgers, but then they stopped and never went back to it so she did. Not liking to be basic or ordinary works out for Katie since now she is able to think of these crazy wieners. When she is not cooking on the grill or running errands, she is thinking of new wieners by just seeing what she’s craving. Her favorite is the Breakfast Beard which is a “Smith’s Andouille Sausage on a French-Toasted Bun, Fried Egg and Bacon Topped with Maple Syrup and Powdered Sugar,” and she puts the additional cream cheese option on. Louie’s popular wieners are the Yinzer (Smith’s Andouille Sausage, Pierogis, Kraut, French Fried Onions, Melted Cheddar, Chipotle Seasoning, Stadium Mustard, Sour Cream) and their seasonal wieners.
Making sure their menu does not get “stale” is one of her successful ways of keeping the customers coming, the other is social media. One of the menu items is actually a challenge that needs a day in advance notice. The “Moby Dick” is two pounds of Smith’s, Garlic Ring Bologna, Pierogies, Greek Sauce, Kraut, Chili, Cheese, Grilled Onion, Bacon, Fried Eggs, Cream Cheese, Ketch, Frank’s Extra Hot, all for $60 and has a t-shirt included. This challenge was completed by one person who was nineteen from the other side of Cleveland, and finished with ten seconds to spare. He uploaded the whole thing to his YouTube channel and has completed other food challenges.
Having no one really be pissed off at the restaurant gives Katie satisfaction and this is because they eliminate the possibilities for customers to be mad. She said that “Customers get up and get their own drink and we set the standards high for hot dogs which makes people happy.” At her restaurant she gets to meet a lot of cool and open-minded people that are not afraid to try new things.
Looking forward, she wants to “build a wiener empire” and grow, develop, make the exterior “not so much of an eyesore” and create more hot dogs and bring in more beer.
During the week Lucky Louie’s has three dollar drafts, happy hour, a discount off of t-shirts for military or public servants, and free non-alcoholic beverages.
Looking for a hot dog that is more than just your regular ketchup and mustard on a bun, Katie has your out-of-the-box experimental hot dogs and selection of beers for you.
Lucky Louie's address is: 8328 Perry Hwy, Erie, PA 16509
Their hours are:
Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
To contact them their phone number is 814-314-9481
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