Photo Illustration by Stephanie McCann / Student Life Editor
In September of 2012, Alpha Dogs, Circus of Wieners restaurant opened its doors conveniently across the street from Keene State College.
This hotdog-focused dining establishment is open for lunch, much like other restaurants, Mondays through Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
However, what separates Alpha Dogs from others is the fact that they cater to the night owl-like tendencies of college students, adding additional hours Thursdays through Saturdays from 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
“A big reason why the owner opened a hot dog place was because of the demand college students have for late night dining. Our Thursday through Saturday hours are for them and prove to be the busiest times of the week,” Wendy Patch, an Alpha Dogs Employee, said.
Alpha Dogs caters to students searching for late-night food options.
They also try to create a sense of community among their customers, according to Patch.
Alexis Michal, junior, agreed that Alpha Dogs is so successful among the KSC community because of its college student accommodations.
“The reason Alpha Dogs is so beneficial to the Keene State community is because of its low prices and weekend hours. They make it convenient for students to get a late night meal that tastes good and isn’t expensive after going out. I think a lot of students — even the ones who don’t live on campus — find it to be easy enough to get to,” Michal said.
Junior Maggie Finkelstein emphasized the common theme among the hot dog-enthusiasts of Keene is that Alpha Dogs delivers convenience as well as excellent service.
“I know me and my friends really like going to Alpha Dogs because of how close to everything it is. Also, the owners and workers are really nice there so it makes it fun to go in and talk with them. They never get impatient and are always accommodating,” Finkelstein said.
There are many different ways Alpha Dogs proves that they are focused on their customers, according to Finkelstein.
An example of this would be how the toppings and different types of hot dogs are chosen, according to Patch.
“The college students come up with the different types of hotdogs that you see advertised — these are the ones that have become really popular and what everyone mostly orders now. When students come in craving toppings, we do our best to meet their needs,” Patch said.
Along with taking customer input, Alpha Dogs occasionally has a jar on the front counter for students to enter their hot dog creation with whatever toppings they want and the owner picks one out to put on the menu temporarily, according to Patch.
From a similar contest, one of the most popular Alpha Dogs, “The Bizzness”, was created by KSC junior, Tyler Bissaillon.
The Bizzness consists of Cool Ranch Doritos, ranch dressing and bacon bits in a baked bun with the Alpha Dog, according to the creator himself, Bissaillon.
“I entered a contest where you had to create your own hot dog and the best hot dog [was] to be on the board and I created the best hot dog, so it got be on the board. And it stuck because everyone has been buying it,” Bissaillon said.
Bissaillon said that he is a loyal Alpha Dogs customer, usually going Thursday and Saturday night and occasionally Friday night depending on what’s going on.
But besides enjoying the product, Bissaillon also enjoys the Alpha Dogs atmosphere.
“Most restaurants you go to want to get you in and get you out as fast as they can; but that’s not what it’s like at Alpha Dogs,” Bissaillon said.
Bissaillon talked about the kindness of the Alpha Dogs community.
“At Alpha Dogs, they’re very open to talking. They want to know how your night is going and they want to really get to know you. They don’t mind the college students hanging out there and talking with them. It’s not one of those places that wants you to come and go as fast as possible — they really do care about the customer. The Alpha Dog workers are really cool people,” Bissaillon said.
Amanda Lashua can be contacted at alashua@keene-equinox.com