It was something that Jerri Walls said her son, Jason, talked about for years.
“He kept saying, ‘why don’t we open a hot dog shop in Cheat Lake?’ ” Jerri said.
The talk became a reality earlier this year when the former Subway space in Ashbrooke Square became available.
That was when the Walls family pulled the trigger and opened Walzzy’s Hotdogs late last month, giving diners in the Cheat Lake area another lunch or dinner option. (Walzzy is Jason’s nickname.)
The Walls, along with Jerri’s sister, Shari Taylor and her husband, Scott, a chef at Lakeview Golf Resort, transformed the space into what best can be described as a diner. There are seats at a lunch counter, where orders are taken for eatery specials such as the Walzzy Dog, a hot dog topped with chili, American cheese, slaw, onions and Walzzy powder.
“That’s probably our best seller,” said Shari, who has a background in restaurants and runs the kitchens and invents new hot dog ideas. (A pizza dog and a Halloween-themed hot dog could be in the making.)
Other specialty hot dogs available at Walzzy’s include the Beanie Weenie Dog, a hot dog topped with baked beans and cheddar cheese; the Picnic Dog, which has baked beans and potato salad; the Taco Dog, topped taco chili, shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream and tortilla strips; and the Hangover Dog. This hot dog comes topped with chili, bacon, fried egg, pepper jack cheese and Walzzy’s powder and sauce.
Jerri said the Bloody Mary Grilled Cheese — cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, dill pickle and horseradish sauce grilled on white bread and coated with Walzzy’s Bloody Mary mix — and its Cabbage Bowl are also popular with customers.
The menu — developed from Walls family recipes — goes well with the eatery’s interior, which is both cozy and a local history lesson.
Jerri said Jason, a wealth adviser at First United Bank & Trust at Suncrest Towne Centre, is nostalgic about Morgantown and the Fairmont area — he graduated from Fairmont State University. And because of Jason’s nostalgia, pictures — some autographed — of athletes from WVU and Fairmont State adorn the wood-covered walls.
“We used reclaimed wood,” said Jerri, who is the manager of the United Bank branch in downtown Morgantown.
“Don Nehlen was in recently and signed his photo,” she said.
Jason salvaged the counter seats from a Woolworth’s, while the light shades over the tables are made from Coca-Cola cans. The Walzzy’s hot dog logo was designed by the daughter of a family friend, while another family friend made the restaurant’s colorful menu board.
“We wanted an old-time hot dog shop feeling,” said Kelly Powell, Jerri’s daughter who handles business development and publicity for the business. Jerri’s other son, Ryan, is a mail carrier and lives in Fairmont. Her husband, Dave, is the official taster and Jason’s sons, Colten, 15, and Maddox, 13, pitch in as needed.
“Trash detail,” Jerri said.
Walzzy’s has been open a month and Jerri said she is pleased with the positive reception and could see possibly opening a second location one day.
“Jason knew what he wanted and made it work. I am very proud.”
“I also like feeding people.”
TWEET @41Suzanne
