Popular Hot Dog Stand Closing For Good In Tonawanda

They've been around for 72 years now and they've decided it's finally time to say thank you and call it quits.

Hot Dog Stands are still huge in Western New York.  There's nothing like grabbing a hot dog right off of a charcoal grill any time of the year, but for Louie's Foot Long Hot Dogs, they've decided it's time to serve the last foot long and walk away.

Louie's Foot Long Hot Dogs have been around for what seems like forever

If you've lived in the Buffalo or Tonawanda area for any period of time, chances are you've been to Louies, or at the very least you've seen it.  They've been in business for 72 years now at 69 Grand Island Boulevard in Tonawanda.  It was started by Louie Turco and has been run by members of the family ever since.  It's currently being run by Louie's nephew Aaron LaMarca.

Louie's decides to close down

As you can imagine, it was a tough decision to close.  After being around for so long the family wanted to continue the legacy but have ultimately decided to close their doors citing the rising costs due to the pandemic as one of the main reasons, according to WGRZ.

"There's only so much we can  charge for a hot dog, and you walk out spending $50, you're going to be like, what the heck is going on?" - Angelo Turco

Louie's has served their last foot long

The closure happened on Tuesday (10/17) and it sounds as though their emotions were exactly what you'd expect.  It's a little bit of sadness and a little bit of relief, but a whole lot of thankfulness for their customers over the years.

"We treated our customers like family, and they treated us like family. The thing I'm going to miss the most about the business is our customers. I loved our customers," - Angelo Turco