Behind the Counter: Willy's Dog House

Before Will Allen was in the “doghouse," he was working behind it. 

Allen—the proprietor of the Route 1 hot dog stand called —used to work at the Elkridge Superfresh, where he managed the seafood department for 10 years.

When the supermarket , Allen came up with the idea of a hot dog stand.

Since then, he said he’s gotten “a pocketful of permits" for the mobile restaurant.

Last fall, Allen set up shop next to his brother-in-law's business, the . On weekends, Willy's Dog House travels to Howard County parks, serving patrons at sporting events.

Allen's wife, Stacy, handles the finances, and he takes care of cooking the dogs. Their actual dog, Ozzie, a boxer-lab mix, may soon be showing up at  too, since the business is just around the corner from their Montgomery Road home.

Also, Allen said to keep an eye on the menu, which lists hot dogs, hamburgers and french fries but will soon offer breakfast items and pit beef.

“I can’t wait to add pit beef,” said Allen, whose recipe snagged first place in the Free State Smokers competition.

What else is he excited about? The reopening of Cindy's Soft Serve, which management said would start dishing out frozen treats by April 1.

Said Allen: "[Business] is really going to pick up then."