PINE PLAINS — With sunnier days in the forecast and baseball season in full swing, residents from around the region can satisfy their hankerings for a hot dog at Stoner’s Roadside Foods Hot Dog Stand located at 2901 West Church St. in Pine Plains.
Serving fresh franks from behind the counter of his blue food truck, Pine Plains resident Brandon Stoner opened his hot dog stand in March.
Raised in the neighboring town of Stanford, Stoner has been a resident of Pine Plains for the last eight years.
As far as what inspired his new venture, Stoner said he used to stop at hot dog stands back when he was a garbage truck driver. He said he’d think how cool it would be to own a hot dog stand, not knowing one day he would.
Following a bad back injury, Stoner’s days of driving and heavy lifting stopped. Then he decided to open his own hot dog stand. Beyond not having to do any heavy lifting, he would be able to set his own hours and put his 4-year-old daughter on and off the bus while his wife Vanessa worked.
Another thing about selling hot dogs, Stoner added, is “they’re cheap, they’re easy, they’re fast, there’s a very big profit… and it’s really something that you don’t need to have much experience cooking food to serve hot dogs.”
Asked what distinguishes his hot dog stand from others, Stoner said his handmade food stand, his smiling face and personality and the secret recipe for the water he uses to boil his franks in, which makes them taste like something one would get in the city.
The recipe was actually created accidentally on Stoner’s stove, but he said he’s received rave reviews from some pretty harsh critics in his family.
Around last August, Stoner set to work in building the trailer for his stand. Though his arm was broken half the time he spent building the trailer, he bought the supplies and built the structure with instructions from YouTube.
Another benefit of operating out of a trailer instead of a pushcart is he can stay open year-round, even if it’s only for a few days in the winter.
Along with getting his year-round permit, Stoner received his New York State Board of Health permit in March and had everything lined up with the town of Pine Plains, too.
Around mid-morning one day in mid-March, Stoner began selling hot dogs at 2901 West Church St. in Pine Plains. By that afternoon, he had sold out of 240 hot dogs.
“It was absolutely wonderful,” Stoner said of his first day in business. “There were way more people than anticipated and a lot of people loved it — I didn’t hear one bad thing. I had people drive here from Connecticut, from Pleasant Valley, from the Ancram Highway Department in the next town over — they all came over just to get hot dogs.”
The baby blue trailer had attracted a number of customers — many of whom brought their dogs with them — around lunchtime. Along with plain franks served with a choice of ketchup, mustard and/or relish, the menu features hot dogs topped with onion, sauerkraut, pickle and onion sauce; chili cheese dogs; and combo meals with a choice of hot dogs, chips and drinks.
Stoner’s stand is open Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closed on Sundays.
“If I can sell them, there are people coming, I’ll be there,” Stoner said.
Looking ahead, he may add more items to the menu and bring his wife on board to help serve food on her days off if business picks up.
For more information on hours and menu items, check out “Stoner’s Roadside Foods Hotdog Stand” on Facebook.
Meg Sher, executive director of the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village.L. Tomaino 
