Hot Dogma: Man does not live by bun alone

I saw a story on these kids and love what they're doing. Who doen't like a good hotdog/brat?

I'm thinking of buying a franchise.

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By Bob Batz Jr., Pittsburgh Post-Gazette An unorthodox hot dog and fruit shake shop has opened in the "catacombs" of Trinity Cathedral, Downtown. Its name: Hot Dogma. Its creed: "Franks be to God!" "But it's nothing we're going to push down anyone's throats," promises Tim Tobitsch, as he tells their story. The 23-year-old does not hesitate to proselytize on the supremacy of the New York-style hot dog, of which he became a disciple as a high school senior in his native New Jersey. When he came to Grove City College, he was disenchanted by cafeteria dogs he describes as "this chicken by-product thing on a limp bun." So he started cooking the real garlicky thing on a George Foreman grill in his dorm room and sharing with others. The "Sausage Sage," as he became known, attracted adherents ("The Inner Circle of Hot Dogs") who addressed each other by their own tubular titles. Megan Lindsey was "Vice Dictator of Natural Casings."

After they graduated in 2002, Lindsey moved to Pittsburgh to be part of a young people's house church -- that is, a church that meets in people's houses -- called Three Nails. She, and the fact that he was unemployed, helped persuade Tobitsch to come here, too, and to launch the business with her and another Three Nails member, Carnegie Mellon University MBA grad Matt Niblack. Their shared interest in Christian ministry, Tobitsch's idea for the name Hot Dogma and the location in a gothic cathedral all came together after Trinity donated the space -- its former bookstore -- to Three Nails, which was nurtured by the Episcopal Diocese and an Ambridge-based group called Rock the World. The upshot: The three principals rent the space from Three Nails in a deal that will give the group up to 15 percent of the profits. Otherwise, they want to make enough money to pay Niblack, who's in charge of accounting and the like, and pay salaries for Tobitsch and Lindsey, who are working full time at the shop with what's now one other employee: fellow Three Nails member Keith Pozzuto.

A brochure they'll give to anyone who wants one explains their story and Three Nails, which now has seven "cells" in and around Pittsburgh. They meet weekly and gather all together twice a month "to see a contagious release of God's freedom and purpose in the world." These three leaders live with other members in houses on the South Side, where Three Nails started in early 2003. The brochure states their belief "that both churches and restaurants are great places to feed the body and soul." Churches and people need to financially support themselves, notes Lindsey, daughter of a peripatetic Navy man who still wants to someday be an overseas missionary. "I'd like to see this kind of model take off."

There is a continued trend toward business and investment tied to social causes. For example, Vermont-based ice cream chain Ben & Jerry's has several "PartnerShops" that partner with nonprofits. One that opened this summer in Squirrel Hill benefits at-risk youth through Life'sWork of Western Pennsylvania. That relationship was assisted by the Pittsburgh Social Enterprise Accelerator, which helps nonprofits start side businesses, so this can work both ways. But Accelerator President Tim Zak says there are more and more businesses that start up with an eye toward causes, such as providing water to Third World areas. "Social entrepreneurs, you might call them." Hot Dogma may well be the world's only hot dog shop in an active cathedral, but Tobitsch is only partly joking that he envisions a chain of them.

After all, he wants to be, by age 28, the "Dave Thomas of Hot Dogs." He can tell you why his spicy, all-beef, natural casing dogs are the best ("Got that snap," Lindsey chimes in). He can tell you the best way to eat them -- with mustard, sauerkraut and New York-style red onion sauce (they have ketchup on the menu, but in very small print). The fruit shakes are inspired by the fruit drinks you'll find at Manhattan hot dog landmarks such as Gray's Papaya, but are more West Coast -- thicker mixtures of sorbet, juice and fruit. The menu also offers soups and salads, including a spinach-based "Frankfurter Salad." "No one's ordered it yet, but it could be delicious," says Tobitsch, with a sense of fun that colors the whole operation.

The remodeled, mostly below-ground space gleams with a white-and-black tile floor and orange rag-rolled walls. His mother painted the canvases covering some tables that give frank twists to famous paintings such as "American Gothic" (guess what's on the pitchfork). Customers can lounge on the green corner couch and use the free wireless Internet access. The three friends are about to launch a creative marketing blitz to let the world know about this shop that's in a place most people wouldn't look for it. They even have a hot dog costume Tobitsch bought on eBay after a friend sent him the, um, link.