Hot Spot:Franktuary

While walking onto Oliver Avenue from Wood Street, the Downtown visitor will see a tan church to their left, with a hot dog shop sign near the end of the street.

After walking into the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral's entrance, some may think they are headed to liturgy, but the sound of food sizzling and people chatting are close by.

Inside Franktuary, customers are lined up, eager to taste some favorites, such as the New Yorker, as the sound of Irish music and the scent of fresh soup fill the air.

"It's different than anything you get Downtown, so that helps," said Lori King, a 32-year-old Plum Borough native and friend of employee Megan Lindsey.

Opening its doors in 2004, Franktuary continues to serve local favorites, like the Pittsburgher, among other vegetable and all-beef hot dog varieties to Pittsburgh visitors.

The restaurant's start came during Lindsey's senior year of college when she collaborated with her friend, Tim Tobitsch, after realizing that they "weren't going to get traditional jobs" after graduation. The two graduated and moved to South Side with some friends, testing various dishes out in their kitchen before finally settling on menu items and opening their eatery, with the whole process taking about a year-and-a-half. The space located in the cathedral opened, and they knew that it was meant for them, noting that it was affordable and worked well.

"The church has been gracious in letting us modify things," Lindsey said.

They started out with the name Hot Dogma, but Lindsey and Tobitsch had to change the name after an agreement was reached with a Miami restaurant owner, which did not seem to affect anything about the business.

The staff, seeming to be a close-knit group, consists of four employees, with Tobitsch being the fifth, though he has moved back home and only comes to Pittsburgh a few times a month to take care of business while regularly corresponding with Lindsey.

"Everyone is familiar with what a hot dog is," said Derek Zanetti, 25-year-old employee and South Side resident. "They're easily accessible. Everybody eats hot dogs; if you don't eat hot dogs, we have awesome vegetarian hot dogs for vegans and vegetarians."

Though they serve hot dogs with all-beef or vegetarian options, the restaurant aims to please all customers, as Lindsey recognized vegetarians need quick food options. During Lent, they offer a Lenten special, which consists of vegetarian hot dog, homemade vegetarian soup of the day and freshly brewed iced tea, costing $5.50. Along with that option, there also are other new choices for vegetarians, such as apple barbeque baked beans and the homemade pierogies. Customers also seemed to create a buzz about the soups, with one openly announcing with a smile that the pea soup was "excellent."

Customers, like Heather Panek, seem to appreciate the vegetarian options, normally ordering the Buffalo, which can be done with a vegetarian or beef hot dog and topped with bleu cheese dressing and Frank's Buffalo Wing sauce. Franktuary is noted for other foods, too.

"The breakfast is awesome," said Panek, adding that the baked oatmeal with cream cheese is "spot on" and "awesome."

The most popular hot dog on the menu seems to be the New Yorker, which Zanetti considers a "traditional" item, being topped with sauerkraut, brown mustard and vidalia onion sauce. And the customer base has been called eclectic by customers, like Maria Lucci, as Zanetti noted that Downtown employees and others alike come together to dine at Franktuary.

Among those that Franktuary tries catering to are the students, as they offer a student discount of 50 cents off of a combo order. Lindsey said that they love for college kids to come in and eat. There is another bonus for students of Point Park University and the surrounding Downtown area.

"We do delivery to anywhere Downtown," Zanetti said. "Greg was hired specifically to do bike delivery, and it works. We do a lot of delivery to Point Park, the Art Institute and courthouse every week."

The atmosphere is said to be relaxed, according to King, which other customers seem to agree with.

"It's quirky," said Lucci, a Downtown employee, noting that she enjoys the artwork and the fact that the inside is "bright."

As far as the future of the company, Lindsey said that they are always working toward a second location, hoping that it will be in South Side, but she admits that they do not wish to become a franchise.

After almost finishing her lunch one afternoon while sitting comfortably on a corner couch, Lucci reflected on her experiences while eating at Franktuary.

"I'm just thankful it's here," she said.

Franktuary is located at 325 Oliver Avenue and is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information or to place a delivery order, call (412) 288-0322.