Rock Stars Have the Best Stories.
It all began in 2011. Steve Ewing, frontman for the band The Urge, opened his first hot dog stand - a humble spot to satisfy concertgoers' late-night cravings. Steve's Hot Dogs quickly grew from a hot dog cart to a successful restaurant known for its creative collaborations and unforgettable flavor combinations.
Steve's smoked all-beef Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs provided the basis around which a menu of culinary creativity was built. Toppings were then piled high on a fresh bun from a local bakery. Customers keep coming back for their favorite staples like the Gorilla Mac and Cheese Dog or the Chicago Dog - but also never miss the restaurant's creative limited-run collaborations with local restaurants and food brands like Strange Donuts, Dogtown Pizza, Gioia's, and Pretzel Boys.
In 2011, Steve opened his first brick-and-mortar location on the Hill. Steve's Hot Dogs is a restaurant built around COMMUNITY. The community helped Steve's launch, helped it expand, saved it from the brink in early 2020 - and they are the reason that Steve's is here today.
Partnering for Growth
In early 2020, Steve partnered with Danni and Marcus Eickenhorst. The pair were friends with Steve - and are also local leaders active in a number of businesses and civic initiatives throughout the St. Louis region. They also own Midtown restaurant The Fountain on Locust. In partnering, the hope was to look at how to sustain and grow Steve's Hot Dogs. Within weeks of their partnership, COVID struck and the restaurant went into survival mode.
Giving Back to the St. Louis Community
In April of 2020, Steve, Danni and Marcus saw the need in their community as layoffs took their toll. The three worked together to launch a community giveback program called #FeedThePeople. Since its launch, the team at Steve's Hot Dogs has served thousands of community-donated meals to people in need and first responders in the St. Louis area. Customers have the option to give a one-time donation or to donate on a recurring basis. Those donations are placed into a fund. When need arises, the meals are distributed on a no-questions-asked basis, as long as there are meals in our fund.
In early December of 2020, Marcus Lemonis of CNBC's The Profit purchased 2,000 meals to support this program as part of his #PlatingChange initiative. The Steve's team is partnering with organizations such as Tent Mission, Zion Lutheran Food Pantry, St. Patrick Center, and others to ensure those meals go to the people who need them most.
Expanding Steve's Hot Dogs
In September of 2021, we moved to our new home on South Grand - a space that tripled the size of our dining room, added a bar, and gave us easy access to outdoor dining and concert space at Ritz Park. As we settle into the new space and look forward at what's next for Steve's Hot Dogs, we see new opportunities for artist collaborations, family-friendly day festivals in the park and adult-oriented evenings at the bar.
In March of 2023, Steve’s Hot Dogs will officially launch its second location at MLS Citypark as one of the premier food vendors for STL City SC soccer!
We also look forward to opportunities to grow Steve's footprint in years to come through partnerships and new locations. Watch this space for more!
