| Could hot dogs become the new ‘finger food’ staple in Sri Lanka? Star Dogs have their sights set on achieving just that.
In full swing since early April this year, Star Dogs is a hot dog chain inspired by the hot dog vendors found at every street corner in New York.
Having lived in the Big Apple for a while Akila Ganegoda, C.E.O of Star Dogs, was determined to introduce the ‘finger food’ of the Americans, in Colombo. However, he stepped it up a notch making several improvisations to the traditional American Hot Dog and has consequently made it appealing to even the most health conscious.
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| Akila Ganegoda |
“It took us about two years to develop the recipes which were all done in-house. My mum’s a good cook and as a child I used to help her in the kitchen which is what motivated me to set up the Star Dogs chain. While most of the hot dogs are prepared with chicken sausages, we’ve come up with some new and interesting types as well. A few that have stirred quite a bit of interest in our customers include the fish sausage which is a white sausage made of BBQ tuna and mullet and the vegetable sausage,” says Akila, adding that he is a vegetarian himself and knows from experience how difficult it is to find completely vegetarian fare in Colombo.
Akila has gone to lengths to ensure that the meat served is Halal certified and also caters to the health-conscious customer. Akila has certainly tapped into a large but overlooked market as this factor is rarely given consideration at restaurants or food outlets in Sri Lanka.
At Star Dogs, the weight watchers can go for whole wheat bread, low fat mayonnaise and sausages of lower calorie content.
Available at the moment are about 10 types of hot dogs, reasonably priced in the range of Rs. 150 to Rs. 180 considering the large portions. According to Akila their main market is those within the ages of 15 to 40 years, whose favourite choice is the BBQ Hot Dog. The Cheese Hot Dog is a favourite with children below the age of 15, while adults above the age of 40 years go for the Mustard Hot Dogs.
The more selective or creative customers have the option putting together their own Hot Dog according to their personal preferences. They are given the option of choosing the type of bread used, sausage, relish and condiments that accompany it.
The main outlet soon to be opened is to have a larger selection of hot dogs such as the Garlic Chicken Hot Dog, as well as a variety of accompaniments such as salads, nuggets, French fries and more.
The hot dog vendors of New York may have been the inspiration for Star Dogs, but the local chain appears to be well ahead of what it was modelled on. While a typical American Hot Dog is 6 inches long, a Star Dog is a whopping 10 inches.
“We wanted to provide customers with more of a meal rather than a snack. Customers frequently request for the hot dog to be cut in two, and shared between friends or couples if they feel they won’t be able to have an entire one by themselves,” Akila says.
Currently Star Dog outlets can be found at Arpico and Majestic City, and will be operating at the new iStore soon. Plans are underway to establish a main outlet in Colombo 5, which should be ready for business in two to three months. |
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