Longtime Mountain Brook Hot Dog Spot To Close

MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL — Changes in Mountain Brook Village have been the norm, especially in the last 10 years, but some of the village's businesses have remained intact through all of the change. Sneaky Pete's hot dog restaurant has been one of those, until the announcement that the popular hot dog joint was closing for good Wednesday.

Sneaky Pete's has been a fixture in Mountain Brook Village for more than three decades, but the restaurant industry has been turned upside down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which played a role in the decision to close the Mountain Brook location.

"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the closing of my dad’s Sneaky Pete’s locations. This pandemic has made it almost impossible for any small business to survive," Jenna Ragusa Davis, daughter of owner John Ragusa, posted on Facebook last week. "Please support local, shop small and do everything we can to help these small businesses that are struggling right now."

However, a Birmingham Business Journal report said that Mark Lovell, senior director of operations with S.P. Food Services, indicated that other franchisees might reopen some of the closed locations.

"Mountain Brook is scheduled to close at the end of business on Wednesday, but we have been contacted by several potential franchisees for that location as well," Lovell said in the BBJ report. "So this one is still up in the air."