Oakland's Original Hot Dog shop to become 2 new food places - TribLIVE

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Maurry Mendelovich and Jamie Rodgers spent many a late Friday and Saturday night at the Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland.

“Yes, we were coming from the library,” said Rodgers, who roomed with Mendelovich when they were students at the University of Pittsburgh.

The friends and business partners with Mero Restaurant Group reminisced about those 2 a.m. meals of hot dogs, the huge servings of french fries and a few beers on Wednesday. They were standing in what used to be the counter for the hot dog shop, a staple near campus for decades. The Original Hot Dog Shop, or “The O,” closed in April after 60 years in business.

Mendelovich and Rodgers plan to spend more time there again.

They have leased the space for a taco restaurant called Viva Los Tacos, which will serve “MexiCali Street Tacos” and margaritas. It will offer handmade tortillas, filled with beef, chicken and fish, and topped with salsas and chile sauces.

The other section of the building has been subleased to Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, which started in Wilmington, Del., and is now headquartered in Las Vegas. Both are scheduled for spring openings.

“There is a lot of work to be done here,” Mendelovich said Wednesday as he walked around the restaurant’s remains. “It’s a major undertaking. We pretty much had to tear it all down and start over.”

The building is a pre-1900 structure, said Derek Bloomgren, the construction project manager. He said they’ve gutted it “down to the studs” and are in the process of rebuilding.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review

Maurry Mendelovich (left) and Derek Bloomgren outside the former Original Hot Dog shop in Oakland. Mendelovich, who co-owns Mero Restaurant Group with Jamie Rodgers, leased the space and will open a taco shop, Viva Los Tacos. Bloomgren is the construction project manager.

Even though they have been removing a lot of the shop since they signed the lease a month ago, they plan to preserve its memory, as well as its history, Mendelovich and Rodgers said.

“The fact we both went to Pitt, we definitely have a strong attachment to ‘The O,’ ” Mendelovich said. “There is a legacy here, and we want to honor that legacy.”

He said they plan to talk to the city about keeping some of the signage. The taco shop, which is an original concept, will encompass about 3,500 square feet, including the upstairs. They plan to offer dine-in table service, takeout and delivery as well as a full bar. Mendelovich called it “fast casual dining.”

It will open at 11 a.m. daily — but won’t be open 24 hours a day like “The O,” they both said.

The sandwich shop will occupy 1,500 square feet.

Mendelovich said they are optimistic people will return to the spot. That’s why they decided to venture into another restaurant opening during a pandemic.

The Mero Restaurant Group’s other brands include four locations of Stack’d Burgers in Oakland, Wexford, Hampton and Shadyside, as well as CHiKN in Oakland. A second location is slated to open later this year in Cranberry.

Mendelovich said the hot dog shop spot is one of the premier corners in the city of Pittsburgh — visible and with great foot traffic, from students, hospital workers, tech employees and neighborhood residents. He said he wants to make this once again a “fun and cool environment,” Mendelovich said.

“This is an amazing corner of Oakland, because of places like ‘The O,’ ” Rodgers said. “We plan to have some menu items as a tribute.”

A taco hot dog, perhaps?

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .