Beloved Hudson Valley Hot Dog Restaurant Suddenly Closed

A hot dog restaurant voted one of the best in the area has closed its doors for good.

In February they took the top prize in the Boris & Robyn Show's "Battle of the Best." But now, they're gone. City Dogs posted a message on their Facebook page explaining that their location in the Village of Wappingers Falls has been closed for good.

The restaurant has been battling with the Village of Wappingers over temporary vendors that have been given permission to sell hot dogs at Village events. Owner Joseph LoFaro recently wrote a letter to the Village explaining his frustration with competition from temporary vendors:

I think it's a terrible show of support to local businesses when you allow a hot dog vendor to operate at the event in the park when there is a store front hot dog restaurant down the street. It may not seem like a big deal to you but even allowing it one time takes away from a potential permanent fixture in the village.

LoFaro goes on to explain on City Dog's Facebook page that there were vendors selling hot dogs at the St. Patrick's Day parade just 50 yards away from his store. More recently there were hot dog vendors set up in the park just a block up from his restaurant for a recreation department pet event.

LoFaro's gripes about vendors, however, does not seem to be his main reason for leaving the Village of Wappingers Falls. He writes:

I need to be in a location that has a free standing building and/or its own parking or perhaps a kick ass food bus so I can service these functions and be mobile to different towns on different days.

Back in January another iconic hot dog restaurant in the City of Poughkeepsie closed its doors for good. Soul Dog was shuttered after its owner decided it could no longer effectively run the business. As a fan of City Dog's "Ubu Dog," I can only hope that LoFaro finds a new location soon. We'll keep you when there is an update on the future of City Dogs.