Haute Dogs: Winnetka Business to Expand, Serve Liquor

After dishing up hot dogs for four years on Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka, is finally on the road to an upgrade, starting with the addition of liquor sales.

For the fourth time since he’s opened, owner Jared Boyar stood in front of the Village Council in an attempt to get a liquor license. And on Aug. 21, his wishes were finally granted.

“I’m not surprised that they approved it this time,” Boyar said. “We worked closely with the village and they told us exactly what we needed to do. We took over the space next door to add 40 seats. I have another meeting about that on Sept. 6, and once that goes through, they’ll grant us conditional approval so we can start doing work.”

Would you pay $149.99 for two hot dogs, an order of fries and a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne?

Boyar has his sights on the former high-end women’s boutique . By knocking down the dividing wall and adding servers and a hostess, Boyar says D’s will finally be up to code for the liquor license.

However, until construction is completed, Boyar won’t be able to serve alcohol. He expects renovations to finish sometime in October, but acknowledges things always seem to take longer than expected. Regardless, Boyar is excited to finally be allowed to offer an ice-cold beer with his all-American dogs.

"People have been asking for it for years," Boyar told the Chicago Tribune. "All we want to do is put out the best product and meet all our customers' request. And now we can. It's like having an extra bullet in the chamber. It's one more thing you can give to your customer."

While Boyar is expecting to mainly serve beer at the upgraded restaurant, he says Winnetka only has one type of liquor license allowing for the sale of any type of alcohol. That’s why he’s planning to serve various kinds of beer, wine and possibly start a bloody mary bar on Sundays, reports the Tribune. The expanded restaurant will also feature an updated menu and longer hours.

However, Boyar still has one trick up his sleeve that he thinks will snag a select group of Winnetka clients.

Would you pay $149.99 for two hot dogs, an order of fries and a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne? Boyar says diners may see that "special" on the menu.