Pasadena Hot Dog Shop Dog Haus Launching National Franchise

This town has had a history of launching national hamburger chains, from McDonald's to Umami Burger. Could hot dogs be next? Within three years of opening three locations on the West side of the San Gabriel Valley, Dog Haus has taken steps toward building a national franchise, founding partners Hagop Giragossian, Quasim Riaz and André Vener announced earlier this month.

The first Dog Haus opened in Pasadena; a year later, the trio opened another in the city. Six months after that, a third Dog Haus opened in Alhambra. By this time next year, there will be many more hot dog shops, with 30 locations in the works in Southern California, Colorado, Utah and Tennessee.

“We'll set up the vibe of the place, the culture, the menu items and the playlist,” Vener says. All menus will feature Dog Haus' sausages and all-beef hot dogs in King's Hawaiian buns, as well as fresh-ground burgers.

There will be regional additions as well. Guests outside of L.A. can expect local or regional ice creams and craft beers on the menu. “In Tennessee, we might have a heavy barbecue flavor like a baby back rib sausage,” Vener says. “We'll have a different splash of personality for different regions.”

Giragossian, Riaz and Vener didn't anticipate that they'd launch a national franchise when they started out. The three had decided to open Dog Haus for fun. They were already running restaurants in Old Town Pasadena; Giragossian and Ria owned Neomeze (they turned it into Kings Row Gastropub in 2011), and Vener owned redwhite+bluezz (he's since sold it). The partners had received requests from parties interested in opening Dog Haus outposts in cities across the United States, but they didn't begin looking into the possibility seriously until six month ago.

“We all grew up eating pizzas, hamburgers and hot dogs. There's that gourmet sausage and hot dog niche that we feel like we can fill,” Vener says.

And in related news:

– Sometimes The Dog House Ain't So Bad: Dog Haus Opens in Pasadena

– 10 Best Hot Dogs in Los Angeles

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