East Valley Business - 11.14.21

Page 1

east valley

Volume 4 Issue 18 Mesa, AZ

November 14, 2021

Food cart back serving up Chicago hot dogs He also sells chips, cold water and soda. “Then I do a Polish Italian beef ou Mirabelli always dog,” added Mirabelli who says dreamed of owning and a Polish dog is more of a sausage operating a hot dog food than a hot dog. “And I do a Ditka cart and now that the weather dog, after Coach Mike Ditka. It’s has cooled, he’s back at it. an 8” Polish. Plus I do chili dogs.” “It’s been a lifelong dream to Mirabelli posts regularly on do it,” said Mirabelli, who’s lived Facebook the locations he’ll be in the Mesa/Chandler area for at usually four to five hours at a 30 years. “I kept coming up with time. excuses not to do it because of “I do enjoy it,” he said. “It gets my other job. Finally, I decided me out of the retail part of it. It’s to do it.” instant verification. I get a lot of He opened Sweet Lou’s Chicapeople from Chicago so we talk go Style Dogs in February 2020. about the city. It brings back “There wasn’t another Chicagomemories.” style hog dog place in the Valley He also caters birthday paruntil Portillo’s came to town.” ties and even weddings for a flat In the summer, Mirabelli fee. works at his furniture liquidaEventually, Mirabelli would tion sales job throughout the like to get a second cart but the country. pandemic delayed his plans. “I quit selling hot dogs in May “None of the snowbirds came or June,” he said. “It’s just too down. So it kind of killed my hot to stay outside. I leave the business.” valley for four or five months Now that summer is gone, Lou Mirabelli is back selling his Despite the pandemic, he has and I come back normally in Chicago-style hotdogs. (Special to the Tribune) survived with one cart. “I offer September or October.” a great product and I interact This year, Mirabelli resumed celery salt.” with people very well,” said Miselling hot dogs Oct 15. Mirabelli lets customers choose their rabelli who depends on word of mouth What makes a hot dog Chicago-style toppings but if ketchup is one of them, to get business in addition to social mehas to do with the bun and toppings. you’ll have to put it on yourself. “If you dia. “Poppyseed buns #1,” said Mirabelli. Google anything about Chicago, we don’t “Number two, my dogs have no ketch- allow ketchup on hotdogs,” he said. Daily locations posted on Facebook up but rather mustard, relish, onions, “My dogs are all beef and they actually at Sweet Lou’s Chicago Style Dogs scored peppers, pickles, tomatoes and snap. They’re called a cased hotdog.”

BY MELODY BIRKETT Tribune Contributor

IN THE BIZ

L

Public Notices ............... page 2 © Copyright, 2021 East Valley Tribune

(USPS 004-616) is published weekly

Mailing Address: 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282

(480) 898-6500 Steven Strickbine, publisher Paul Maryniak, executive editor

Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: East Valley Tribune, 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 291, Tempe, AZ 85282


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.