According to a recent permit filing, Dog Haus will expand with another new Chicago location at 204 N Wells Street on the first floor.
Behind this new Dog Haus location is franchisee Jesse Koontz. According to an article from the Franchise Times, “Koontz visited the Dog Haus location in Burbank, California, in 2015 and “fell in love” when he walked in. “It was tiny, maybe 1,500 or 1,400 square feet,” Koontz recalled in the article.
“They were playing ‘80s music, had a modern industrial build with reclaimed wood, concrete floors, hard steel—it was so awesome. I was reading all their little sayings on cups and walls, humor on the border of what’s socially acceptable and what’s not, which really resonated with me. A lot of stuff that’s tongue-in-cheek,” like the “We love wieners” sign that now hangs in his Dog Haus Biergarten in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago.”
“He flew out Super Bowl weekend of 2016 to a discovery day, where he met founders André Vener, Quasim Riaz and Hagop Giragossian. And Koontz was the first Dog Haus franchisee to open a virtual kitchen facility in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, which he admitted was “really tough. I didn’t have a great go of it” because delivery adoption wasn’t as widespread.”
“But then 2020 came, and the pandemic along with it, and his sales grew nearly 200 percent from 2019. Sales grew another 33 percent in 2021, and delivery now comprises about 80 percent of his total sales. In addition to his brick-and-mortar location ranked No. 3 in the system in 2021, Koontz has two ghost kitchen sites in Chicago and a location inside Live Nation’s entertainment venue, Huntington Bank Pavilion.”
Dog Haus’s website tells us more: “Dog Haus has garnered critical acclaim and national attention for its signature all beef Haus Dogs and handcrafted proprietary Haus Sausages, as well as its 100% genetically tested, humanely raised, hormone- and antibiotic-free Black Angus beef from Creekstone Farms.”
“All Dog Haus dogs, sausages and burgers are served on grilled King’s Hawaiian rolls. Restaurants are open for lunch and dinner daily and guests can choose from signature, one-of-a-kind Haus creations or customize their own from a wide array of unique toppings.”
