BERKELEY – The iconic hot dog stand on Route 9 is finally reopening after it was destroyed five years ago, its owner told The Berkeley Times.
After many roadblocks – some big, some small – Gerald LaCrosse said that he’ll be back in the window on September 16 and 17 from noon to 4 p.m.
Then, he said he’ll take a few days off. Getting to this point has been a lot of hard work, so he’s going to need to recoup, and take stock of the reopening – what went right, what went wrong – and plan ahead.
He said reopening has been exciting…but also frightening. He never knew how much his little business was loved until he saw the outpouring of support after the crash. Now, he doesn’t want to let anyone down.
“I just want to do it the right way,” he said.
The right way involved a lot of cutting through red tape and a change of location.
LaCrosse was doing some routine work on June 11, 2018. It was a Monday, and in the morning, too. The stand wasn’t open. But by some happenstance he was inside when an SUV left the roadway and plowed into the stand.
During his recovery, he thanked the many people who came out of the woodwork to lend a hand, not the least of which the Berkeley, Beachwood, and Pine Beach police departments who held a fundraiser for him.
He continues to thank everyone for their love and consideration, and made it a point to ask this writer to include his thanks in this article.
He also asked that customers be patient with him. It’s a new set-up, with new gear, and it’s going to take some getting used to.
“It’s not quite like riding a bike,” he said.