How The Dawg House Became Rockland County's Favorite Hot Dog Spot

This Patch article is sponsored by the Dawg House Restaurant.

Located at The Rockland Plaza Mall in Nanuet, The Dawg House is a family-run restaurant offering fast, casual dining. Their menu is made-from-scratch cooking, incorporating several family recipes.

"When you dine with us we consider you to be sitting at an extension of our family dinner table," says James Barracato, owner of The Dawg House. "We will always go the extra step to make sure you have a satisfactory experience."

From a wide variety of home-cooked meals to an extensive beer, wine and cocktail list, learn more about the restaurant that's serving up comfort-food delights:

Patch: How long have you been doing business in town?

Barracato: The Dawg House has been open since 2005. We have owned and operated it for the past two years. In 2018, we renovated the kitchen and dining room. We also revitalized our menu to include scratch cooking that is always fresh, never frozen.

Patch: What attracted you to the line of work you’re in, and how did you get started?

Barracato: My grandmother Eleanor was a waitress and loved the food and hospitality business. She dreamed of someday having a restaurant of her own. Sadly, she passed away when I was a young child. I was driven to make her dream come true and have a family restaurant. My parents and siblings are very supportive of me, but encouraged me to go to college and law school first. Once I completed my education, we moved forward with fulfilling my grandma's dream.

Patch: If you had to sum up your business mission to a stranger in five words, what would those words be?

Barracato: Scratch cooking that's always fresh.

Patch: What’s the biggest challenge or most difficult moment you’ve faced in your job?

Barracato: The biggest challenge was transitioning our menu from frozen food to scratch cooking. As with any change, there were challenges and obstacles to overcome. However, our kitchen staff and front of the house are an amazing group of people. They work hard and are dedicated. Together we were able to make the transition and perfect our scratch cooking menu.

Patch: What’s the most satisfying part of your job?

Barracato: The most satisfying part of this business is all the wonderful people it brings into my life. Our customers are the best and without them there would be no Dawg House. I cannot thank them enough for choosing to spend their precious time and hard earned money with us.

Patch: How would you say your business or organization distinguishes itself from the others?

Barracato: Our business is different because of the uniqueness of our menu and the great staff that works here. Our staff is part of the fabric of the community and we regularly partner up with our local Jeep Club Xtreme 4 Low to host events to benefit local charities. It is important to us to give back to the community. We were recently voted the #1 Hot Dog in Rockland and Bergen Counties. That is something we take tremendous pride in and we cannot thank our customers enough for making us #1.

Patch: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given when it comes to success?

Barracato: The best piece of advice I was ever given to be successful in this business is to put love into whatever you do. Our customers come from all walks of life. No matter who you are or where you come from there is one gesture that unites us all — a smile.

There is an old saying, "Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about." A customer could be having an average day, the best day or, unfortunately, the worst day. Their experience with us can be the one thing that brightens their path. We always keep that in mind and try to go the extra mile. We want to be the positive experience that makes a customer smile and look forward to coming back.

Patch: Are there any new projects or endeavors you’re working on that you’re extra excited about?

Barracato: We recently renovated our entire restaurant. We have new signage, new tables and booths, and seven new TVs, including an 82-inch big screen. We carry all the games on Sundays with the NFL Sunday Ticket. We also have beer, wine and spirits, as well as NY State Lotto Quick Draw. We are always looking for new ways to enhance our customers' experience. In addition, we were voted the #1 Hot Dog in Rockland County. We are very excited about all the great things happening at the Dawg House.

Patch: Do you have any events coming up in your community?

Barracato: On the third Friday of every month we host a Jeep Show Cruise night with Xtreme 4 Low and surrounding Jeep Clubs. We always raise money for a local charity. On October 18, the Dawg House and Xtreme 4 Low are honored to announce that Pop Music Icon, the Legendary Shannon will be joining us for a meet and greet and performance. The concert will benefit Nanuet & Beyond, a 501(c)(3) that supports educational opportunities for our youth, both inside and outside of the classroom. We are also working out a date with 80s music icon Tiffany to join us for a Jeep Show in the Spring. Details about the events can be found on our Facebook and Instagram feeds.