NORFOLK, Va. — Larry Sauger and Carl Newman opened Pittie Dog Grill in Norfolk with the idea of bringing a charcoal grilled hotdog to Hampton Roads. "So, we charcoal grill every hot dog that comes out of the place, and pretty much everything we do is charcoal grilled."
They had a spot they loved in Carl's hometown, Buffalo, New York, and they wanted to bring that style of dog here. This Riverview restaurant has topping options galore.
"There are 50 toppings at this point," Carl said. "52," Larry chimed in.
Carl smiled and continued, "52 toppings at his point," they both laughed.
They have multiple types of hot dogs, too. You can get a bratwurst, a sausage, a classic dog, a snap-casing dog, etc. They try to give you as many options as possible to have whatever you want.
You can even build your own dog with the endless options, or you can try one of their specials. Their Pittie Dog is probably the most popular option. That is a hot dog with a snap casing and their homemade chili and cheese.
Their Italian Sausage Pittie is an Italian delight, and their German Pittie has this awesome fried sauerkraut on top, which is Larry's family recipe. You can even get the fried sauerkraut as a side. They also serve chili cheese fries, fried onions, sweet potato fries, and other amazing sides.
Their Chicago Dog was a 13News Now favorite. They do it as close to the real thing as they possibly can. They even bring in ingredients from Chicago to make it taste as close to authentic as possible.
"And you can have the Chicago style on any hot dog; you can have it on a burger if you want," Carl said.
Yes, they have other menu items like burgers and chicken tenders. They also serve amazing homemade desserts. They have cookies, brownies, bread pudding, and milkshakes. Larry said they decided to take their recipe up a notch by making their shakes with custard.
The sides, other entrees, and desserts are delicious, but most come for the hot dogs. Carl and Larry love their business, but there is something, or should we say someone, they love more than their dogs. That's why their business has "Pittie" in the name.
"People think pit bulls as a dog as a horrible breed, that they're these big rough, aggressive dogs. We've got pit bills. They are the most loving things I've ever met. And everyone thinks that hot dogs are just this trash kid's food. Well, we realized why don't we incorporate the two and elevate them both!"
So, they show love to pit bulls throughout their restaurant. Their own pitties, Meg and Ivan, also talked about often. They also show love to the community by bringing this spot to life.
"We've lived here in Norfolk for 18 years now, and this is our neighborhood," Larry said.
It's a neighborhood they hope you soon visit to give Pittie Dog Grill a try.
Pittie Dog Grill is at 4140 Granby St, Norfolk, VA 23504.