Lucky Dog Chiacgo Style & More
BY: Mackenzie Stephenson
Suwanee has many different kinds of restaurants to offer to the public. There are pizza joints, Italian restaurants, steakhouses, and barbeques. Nearly anything you have a hunger for you can find in the Suwanee area.
Lucky Dog is a little restaurant on Buford Highway that sells authentic Chicago style food. Those of you from the Midwest who grew up with hot dog stands will find yourselves right at home when walking into this establishment.
Owners Eva and Justin Imig were both born and raised in Chicago before moving to the Atlanta area five years ago due to Justin’s job. After growing up in a place with hotdog stands on every street corner and then finding herself with a craving for Italian beef while pregnant with her now three-year-old daughter, Eva decided to open a restaurant with authentic Chicago style food. Lucky Dog opened at the end of September last year and has been supplying the Suwanee area with its own little taste of Chicago eatery.
Both Eva and Justin have had experience in the restaurant business. Justin comes from three generations of restaurant owners, one being his grandmother who owned a hot dog restaurant. Eva has had plenty of restaurant and managerial experience, and now spends her time making sure that Lucky Dog is operating smoothly everyday.
Eva explained the meaning behind Lucky Dog’s name, “It’s my husband’s nickname, people used to call him that all the time, and the name was perfect for our restaurant!”
Those of you from the Chicago area will feel right at home when walking into Lucky Dog. The walls are covered with photos of Chicago sports teams, banners, and famous people from that area. They’re also considering hosting more Chicago-themed events, such as: ball game nights or Chicago trivia.
The Chicago dog is their signature menu item, as found on the Lucky Dog logo. But what is a Chicago dog? “It starts off with 100% Vienna hotdog and is then topped with yellow mustard, raw onions, green relish, sport peppers, tomatoes, a dill pickle spear and a dash of celery salt; all on a steamed poppy seed bun,” Eva supplied for us. When asked about adding any toppings to a Chicago dog, she stated, “don’t ever ever ever put ketchup on your Chicago dog…that’s like putting ketchup on a great filet.”
Eva said her favorite menu item is The Authentic Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich. “You can’t get it anywhere else,” she said. She then proceeded to describe it as a large hearty, meaty and spicy sandwich dripping in au jus. “We constantly play around here in the kitchen and create specialty items, like a chili dog topped with fries.” Eva enjoys mixing it up; if it’s something people enjoy and crave, they’ll add it to the menu. They want to give their customers something different, whether that is their hearty meat sandwiches or a tasty milkshake.
About catering, she said, “we are equipped and ready to go wherever needed… we just need 24 hour notice.” Eva is hoping to do private parties, corporate events, festivals in Suwanee Town Center Park, and little league games. They can bring a traditional and authentic Chicago style hot dog stand to you, wherever the event is, along with delivery or carryout options. The restaurant itself is available for full venue rental on Sundays when they are generally closed.
There are so many people from the Midwest who find this restaurant to be like something they grew up with, and it reminds them of home. “It brings people back to their childhood and memories of growing up in the Midwest. We have some things that are specific to traditional hot dog stands like the tom tom tamale and pizza puffs,” Eva said. “I’m so surprised how many people from the Midwest live in the Suwanee area – about 80% of our customers are from the Midwest.”
Eva loves seeing reunions happen in her restaurant. She said she once had somebodyrecognize a friend in the restaurant, someone they grew up with in the Midwest, and hadn’t seen in decades. And they love that – they want this to be a place where people reconnect and share their memories about the Midwest together.
The next time you have a craving for Italian beef or for a taste of genuine Chicago style cooking, be sure to check out Lucky Dog on Buford Highway. If you are from the Midwest and are looking for a little slice of home, this is a definite must to check out. ■
