Tail o’ the Pup Adds New Menu Items as it Celebrates One Year of Reopening in WeHo

The historic Tail o’ the Pup reopened in the city of West Hollywood on National Hot dog Day, which landed on July 20, 2022. As the Pup celebrates its first year at 8512 Santa Monica Boulevard, the hot dog stand has added the Beefy Butcher Dog to its menu, along with other new items such as the fried chicken sandwich, the Texas toast breakfast sandwich (served all day), boozy milkshakes and daily happy hour specials.

Ralph Perrazzo of Snap-O-Razzo hot dogs, did a special presentation at The Pup this past Tuesday to speak on the Beefy Butcher Dog, a new hot dog exclusive to Tail o’ the Pup in the West Coast. Perrazzo is a skilled butcher and chef who has developed the superior frank.

As a New Yorker, Perrazzo’s goal is to bring back the nostalgic snap and flavor of the hot dogs he used to eat and to combine those texture and taste memories with high-quality ingredients.

In other Pup news, the beloved hotdog stand recently debuted inside Topanga Social, and they are the recipient of a LA Conservancy 2023 Preservation Award for preserving and protecting the WeHo location.

The Los Angeles Conservancy describes the history of the Pup below:

“The Tail o’ the Pup is a true L.A. icon and one of the most iconic examples of roadside architecture ever designed. First opened in 1946, L.A.’s legendary “Tail o’ the Pup” hot dog stand has been immortalized in pop culture by celebrities and artists for more than 76 years.

The whimsical, charming replica of a huge hotdog encased in a bun was first established in 1946 during the golden age of L.A. car culture. Then-famous dance team Frank Veloz and Yolanda Casazza commissioned the design from skilled architect Milton J. Black in 1939. The large frankfurter became famous as it worked its way into publicity photoshoots and movie set design. As a functioning hot dog stand in the 1940s, it served community patrons of the carnival-like Beverly Park Kiddieland (now the site of The Beverly Center), one of the sources of inspiration behind Disneyland.

When Kiddieland was demolished, Tail o’ the Pup was taken over by owner Eddie Blake in 1976, and in 1986 it was relocated to a second address on San Vicente Boulevard. Perhaps its most famous location, celebrities continued to flock to the Pup—among them Sigourney Weaver, Betty White, Devo, the Go-Go’s, Aaron Spelling, and Andy Warhol. After a few changes in ownership across several decades, the hotdog itself was painted differently about five separate times. Eventually, the final color palate was chosen to replicate the most iconic moments and memories, a decision primarily based on archival photos throughout time.

The new building located on Santa Monica Boulevard required steel, wood, and plaster restorations to maintain the integrity of the building. When Tail o’ the Pup closed in 2005, the family moved it into storage, hoping to find a new location, and many Angelenos worried about its future. In 2018, the 1933 Group took on the task of bringing it back, acquiring both the brand and original building with the goal of returning it to its original purpose. Proper restoration required a mix of welding in metal fabrication and stucco repair, and a vital location was scouted only blocks away from “The Pup’s” original site. The new spot—part of a building once used as a studio for L.A. rock band The Doors—allows for inside and upstairs seating and opened in 2022.

This loving restoration and rehabilitation of an iconic piece of L.A. architecture earned a Preservation Award from the Conservancy in 2023.”