Spotlight On: Lisa's Hot Dogs
It finally feels like spring on campus now that the Green is once again green, the squirrels are out of hibernation and shorts weather has become the norm. One aspect of this new season many students may not be as familiar with is the arrival of Hanover street vendors.
Parked between Boloco and Molly’s almost every day of the week, one can hop over to Lisa’s Hot Dogs for a sparkling conversation along with your fresh squeezed lemonade and hot dog.
Lisa Locke, the owner of Lisa’s Hot Dogs, moved to Hanover in 1999 to take over from the hot dog vendor who had just retired. Since then, she’s become a town staple during spring and summer for her deliciously simple lemonade (psst: the secret ingredient is love!) and perfectly cooked hot dogs with toppings including chili, sauerkraut and spicy red pepper relish.
You can find Locke outside with her trademark blue and yellow striped umbrella on any day Monday through Saturday between mid-April and September or so, as long as the weather’s nice.
Locke’s typical day on the job starts at 8:30 a.m. when she leaves her house to pick up the produce she’ll need for the day. Lisa arrives at her spot in Hanover around 10 a.m. and begins setting up her cart and is ready with all her delicious treats about an hour later. If you ask her what her regular hours are, you’ll realize that she doesn’t really follow any regular hours.
“If I’m having a good day, I’ll stay, if I’m not having a good day then I’m going,” Locke said. “It just depends on how I feel that day, and little things can make your day better.”
Although Locke hasn’t made as much money as she might have in another line of work, she has built relationships and learned things that are worth far more than any amount of money.
“I really enjoy my job,” Locke said. “People perceive that you make bucket loads of money, but if it was all about the money I would’ve quit years ago. I love the biz, and I’ve been in it a long time.”
As her selling season comes to a close, Locke sometimes finds herself looking forward to a change of pace, but she keeps coming back to that corner in town each spring.
“You know, every year you think ‘oh no, I’m not going to go back and do that in the spring,’ but you always do,” Locke said. “I can’t ever see myself not being here.”
Over the years, Locke has had the chance to really get to know Hanover and the people who live here, quickly becoming one of the town’s number one fans.
“This is just a great town,” Locke said. “I came down here, and people said ‘you know, Hanover is hard to deal with and the parking guys are horrible,’ and I’ve never experienced that side of things.”
Take the time to swing by, either to venture a taste of her personal favorite hot dog combo (brown mustard, hot pepper relish, onions, sauerkraut) or simply for some conversation during the day, and you will quickly understand why Lisa’s Hot Dogs should be at the top of your list of favorite Hanover food stops.