I found myself at Stumpy's Hot Dog Shack around 4:30pm on a Friday evening during the town's 2nd Friday Strawberry Jam celebration. Given the festival atmosphere happening nearby, I expected crowds. Instead, I walked in and had the place entirely to myself. Fantastic!
The woman working the counter greeted me right away and had exactly the kind of friendly-but-slightly-snarky personality that I absolutely adore. She made ordering fun without overdoing it, which immediately scored points in my book.
After looking over the menu, I kept things relatively simple and ordered a chili cheese dog with onions, no bun, served on a bed of French fries, plus a can of Diet Coke. Total damage: $10.07.
When she asked if I wanted the hot dog cut up before everything was assembled together, I enthusiastically accepted. Someone who understands that sometimes food is supposed to be a glorious mess is my kind of person!
While waiting for my food, I took a look around. Future visitors should know that indoor seating is extremely limited. There's one high-top table just inside the door and about six barstools along the counter. However, that's not really where this place shines.
Outside, there are several picnic tables, plus a beautiful covered side porch with another six to eight tables. If the weather is nice, absolutely plan to eat outside. If the weather isn't cooperating, I'd probably recommend takeout.
A few minutes later, my masterpiece was ready.
I grabbed my food and drink and headed straight for the covered porch. It was approximately 92 degrees outside with a heat advisory in effect, which most reasonable people would consider a terrible time for an outdoor picnic. I am apparently not most reasonable people.
The meal was exactly what I hoped it would be.
The chili deserves special recognition because it was actual chili, not the mysterious meat sauce that sometimes masquerades as chili on hot dogs. This stuff had real texture, generous chunks of ground meat, and just enough spice to keep things interesting without setting your face on fire. The diced onions were plentiful, the cheese was perfectly melted, and everything was assembled exactly the way I requested.
It was messy. It was delicious. It was absolutely worth eating with a fork.
For my first visit, this was a solid win. The food was good, the staff were great, the prices were reasonable and the porch made for a perfect place to sit and enjoy a summer evening.
I'll definitely be back to explore more of the menu! Stumpy's offers several specialty dogs that caught my attention, but I wasn't quite brave enough to try their Strawberry Dog during Strawberry Jam.
Maybe next year. Maybe. read more