All Star Catering to take over Frankie’s Dawg House

Fans of Frankie’s Dawg House will be happy to hear the local restaurant is reopening next Saturday, Nov. 1, under new owners Brian Medlin and Stuart Ourso.

Medlin is the owner of Smokin Aces BBQ and All Star Catering, and Ourso is the owner of local hot dog and snoball cart and catering service Southern Dawgz.

Medlin says he was involved with Frankie’s for about six months, doing some consulting work in 2012. He approached former owner Stephen Hightower a couple months ago to see if Hightower was interested in selling Frankie’s. Medlin says a deal was brokered in early October, and he’s interested in expanding on the concept, growing Frankie’s with more locations and a fleet of carts in the future.

During the first week of October, Medlin and Ourso temporarily closed the restaurant to upgrade the dining room with a new paint job and make other minor tweaks. Medlin says the restaurant is almost ready, and he’s excited to bring Frankie’s “old school” vibe back to customers.

“We’re going to focus mainly on serving the best gourmet hot dogs you could possibly have—no frills,” he says. “We’re keeping it simple.”

Patrons can expect hot dogs made of beef, housemade boudin, local sausage and a blend of beef and chicken specifically made for Frankie’s. The new owners are also bringing back hand-dipped corn dogs, made with housemade corn batter from a recipe Medlin created in 2012.

On the business side, Medlin says he and Ourso will have a presence at the Perkins Road overpass establishment (2118 Cedardale Ave.) at all times to help handle daily operations.

“I’m excited to be involved with Frankie’s again,” Medlin says. “The customers can’t wait for us to be back open. We’ve been doing a lot of social media, guerilla and neighborhood marketing. I’m expecting quite the crowd to show up. It’ll be something special.”

For more information on Frankie’s Dawg House, click here or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.