By Kathy Chouteau
It’s been a Richmond institution for more than 40 years, and soon it will have new owners.
Pup Hut, identifiable far and wide by its fab retro design and touch-the-sky sign of a floppy-eared dog, is about to change ownership, according to current owner/manager Christian Perez, who owns the eatery with his family.
While Perez told The Rich Life that the new owners will take over Pup Hut in February of this year, he is remaining tight-lipped about who they are or what their future plans are for the restaurant. The Perez family has owned Pup Hut for nearly 17 years.
The Rich Life recently stopped by Pup Hut, located at 12505 San Pablo Ave. in Richmond, to sample some lunch fare and found it bustling with business on a weekday afternoon.
As Pup Hut’s name suggests, its specialty is hot dogs of various kinds ranging from the original hot dog, to a double dog, to a turkey dog, to a chili cheese dog, to a corn dog and so on.
Not to be out-shown, Pup Hut serves up more than just the expected hot dogs, with a large menu of diner-style selections including breakfast dishes, a whole host of burgers, sandwiches and more.
On our visit, our little duo ordered the original hot dog, which comes with the choice of mustard, relish, onion and tomatoes, and the club sandwich on white bread. My lunch mate ordered her hot dog plain, along with a side of chips; she said it was good—but plans to try out the possibly more flavorful Polish dog on her next visit.
This reporter’s club sandwich was delicious and somewhat of a surprise as it included ham instead of turkey with all the usual fixings. The sandwich was fresh and the serving so generous that half of it was left over to share later on with my appreciative husband.
The Rich Life recommends visiting Pup Hut in February or beyond to check out the restaurant under its new ownership and to see if the menu or anything else has changed under their management. One other takeaway is that Pup Hut would be a good option to try out for a Saturday morning diner-fare breakfast.
Pup Hut is open Mon.-Sat. from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is closed Sundays. Call 510-235-5456 for info or visit them online on Yelp.
