PORTLAND, Maine — A hulking, tattooed construction worker ambled up to Fred Steinberg’s hot dog cart in Tommy’s Park on Thursday with a hardhat tucked under his arm.
“Gimme two snappers, loaded,” the lunch-breaking man said. “I just come up from Massachusetts and I gotta have my Maine red snappers.”
A few minutes later, only a crumpled foil wrapper remained after both dogs vanished, down the hatch, ketchup, mustard, mayo, onions, pickles and all. Satisfied, the workman moseyed back across the street, where a brick building stood shrouded in construction staging.
That’s how the day’s lunch rush went.
Every mother-and-child, teenager, office dweller and working stiff walked away from Steinberg’s cart with a smile and something tasty in hand. Even a herring gull Steinberg named Chippy, who patrolled the park grass for leftovers, seemed delighted to once again have a resident hot dog slinger setup for business at the corner of Middle and Exchange Streets.
It’s been a while.
Before Steinberg opened up at the start of summer, no tubesteak seller had dared occupy the vaunted bricks between the benches at Tommy’s Park since legendary Portland hot dog purveyor Mark Gatti hung up his tongs for good in 2021.
Gatti sold his steamed wieners on the same spot for 36 years.
Steinberg said he’s been in touch with Gatti, who wished him the best while sharing a few tips with his younger counterpart.
“He was super nice,” Steinberg said. “I just asked Mark things like, what kind of hot dogs he used and logistical stuff.”
While he’s taking over Gatti’s old patch of park, Steinberg is also keeping up with Portland’s modern foodie culture. Instead of just steamed dogs with the regular fixings, Steinberg, who calls his business The Good Dog, is offering more exotic fare including a kimchi-and-sriracha mayo dog and a special he calls the Hawaiian Hoagie. That’s sliced-and-grilled spam with pineapple and Thai chili sauce.
Finding the right balance between value and cost is the trick, Steinberg said. He wants to keep the price barrier low while also still serving something worth getting excited about.
“I think I think you kind of have to be a little pizazzy with your meals here,” Steinberg said. My hot dogs are $4, which is a little pricey for some people, but I use good hot dogs and I steam all my buns. I never give anyone a cold bun.”
On a good day, Steinberg said he sells upwards of 90 hot dogs. He also offers cold drinks and chips. Unlike Gatti, Steinberg also takes credit cards, too.
“I prefer cash but I feel like, in this day and age, you’ve got to take credit cards too, even though it slows everything down,” Steinberg said.
Speed is important.
Just after noon on Thursday, the 2017 Portland High School graduate had a line of six or seven people waiting for hot dogs. With alacrity in mind, he told several of them to pay him when they were done eating. One man got several blocks away and then returned, half-eaten dog in hand, when he remembered he hadn’t yet forked over any cash.
Though he’s only been open for a few months, Steinberg already has regulars and remembers their names and toppings. He addressed a couple of construction workers in rudimentary Spanish — which they genuinely seemed to appreciate — remembering they liked queso with their order. Steinberg sprinkled shredded cheese on their dogs and then melted it with a small, butane torch.
“That’s Chippy,” Steinberg said, watching a young herring gull follow the men to a nearby bench, keeping a yellow eye on them as they ate. “He has to fight off other gulls to keep his spot.”
A few minutes later another man, who ordered three hot dogs, gave Chippy the ends of two of them. After gulping them down, the gull threw its head back, wings outstretched, and screeched in triumph.
Steinberg said he got the idea for the hot dog cart after a wrist injury ended his art school career.
“I was just kind of aimless, working as a bartender,” he said. “I didn’t like my job and I didn’t like my boss. I wanted something where I was my own boss — something that I didn’t hate.”
After a few early problems with his equipment, Steinberg said business is good. He’s getting a lot of locals, which he believes bodes well for his long-term success.
He’s not aiming for Gatti’s longevity record just yet though. For now, Steinberg said he hopes to work his cart straight through the Christmas season.
“But I see self-employment as the only route forward for myself, career wise and financially,” he said. “I could see myself doing this for a while.”
