According to recent building permits, the popular hot dog food truck I Dream of Weenie will be opening its first brick-and-mortar space in East Nashville, in a historic building at 1021 Russell St. The tentative timeline for opening will be late 2023 or early 2024 at the latest, although an exact grand opening date is too far out to determine.
Founder and owner Leslie Allen shared with What Now Nashville some additional details about the upcoming opening.
“We are most excited about being able to expand on the fantastic offerings we have had for the past 16 years of operation. We have been operating out of 72 square feet and have constantly been saying “if we had more space, we could….” And now we get to do those things! We will be moving some of our more popular rotating specials to the regular menu, adding more sides (like fries!), more locally-sourced gourmet sausages, and obtaining a beer permit,” Allen stated in an email.
The new location also anticipates offering its popular Weenie Brunch menu on both Saturdays and Sundays. Currently, brunch is only offered on Sundays out of I Dream of Weenie’s Volkswagon Bus in Five Points.
“From a logistical standpoint, we look forward to being able to be open more hours, and provide indoor seating options for inclement weather. We are honored to be a part of an amazing rehab project by S&S Properties that is preserving a historical element of our neighborhood that was so impacted by the 2020 tornado,” Allen said.
Some of the restaurant’s most popular offerings include its pimento cheese weenie featuring housemade pimento cheese, the Rebel Yelp weenie with mustard, Tennessee hot chow-chow, jalapenos, and chopped red onions, as well as the mac and cheese weenie.
“We are committed to maintaining the fun, quirky vibe that customers know and love, and our same core menu with fast and friendly service. Also, never fear, our iconic VW van will be incorporated in the new environment,” Allen shared.
Customers can keep updated about I Dream of Weenie’s opening progress on its website, Instagram and Facebook pages.
