Dog Central late-night hot dog restaurant expected to open in March

Construction continues inside of Dog Central, 111 E. Michigan Suite 5. The late night hot dog resturant was orginally planned to open Fall 2011. (Tanya Moutzalias/Staff Photographer)

A recent Central Michigan University graduate is a step closer to opening his hot dog restaurant in downtown Mount Pleasant.

Dog Central was originally scheduled to open in fall 2011, though Owner Paul McFall said the project took a little longer than planned.

“I recently spoke to the builder (and) it’s looking like the second week of March,” McFall said.

Opening the restaurant has taken longer because of setbacks with the planned building, he said.

“There was just lots of red tape,” McFall said. “It’s an old building that wasn’t quite up to code anymore.”

Dog Central will be located at 111 E. Michigan St., near Marty’s Bar, 123 S. Main St., and The Bird Bar & Grill, 223 S. Main St.

McFall, 22, recently graduated CMU with a major in entrepreneurship, and said he wants to start simple with his first business. He has not hired anyone for the restaurant yet, and said his dad has been his biggest help, mostly with financing the project.

McFall previously interned at Craig’s Cruisers of Grand Rapids.

“My target for lunch is people that work downtown, otherwise it’s mainly students,” he said.

McFall said he hopes to attract the bar crowd on late nights, with his restaurant staying open until 4 a.m. on the weekends.

Allen Park junior Marty Previch recently turned 21, so he has not spent much time downtown until now. He said he likes the idea of Dog Central.

“Now that I am 21, I’ll probably be going downtown every weekend,” Previch said. “A hot dog place might be a good option for some late-night food after the bar closes.”

Warren senior Stefan Jagot said he has heard about Dog Central and is anticipating its opening.

“This is definitely a place I will try, as long as their prices are relatively cheap,” Jagot said. “It’s not something that comes around often.”