Hop Dog Has Officially Closed Downtown

After just six months, Hop Dog closed the doors to its downtown brick and mortar yesterday, February 28. Opened last August by Micah Camden and Katie Poppe (Boxer Ramen, Blue Star Donuts), the restaurant seemed to have scored a good downtown location and to have jumped onto the gourmet hot dog trend while still on the ascent, but the critics at Portland Monthly and Willamette Week both gave it negative reviews, and owner Camden says Hop Dog just didn't sell enough hot dogs.

"We're going to keep the product and the brand," he tells Eater, "and we'll be transitioning to a hot dog cart at some point." That will likely be as soon as this summer, according to Camden. "I think one of the things that got us was a delayed opening," he says. By opening in August, Hop Dog had missed a sizable portion of the "hot-dog-eating season."

To keep up with the launch of the Hop Dog cart, visit the restaurant's official Facebook page.