After 17 years, a popular Honolulu hot dog stand is closing down for good

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – After 17 years, a popular Honolulu hot dog stand is closing down for good; despite the popularity of these gourmet wieners and burgers, Hank’s Haute Dog will serve its last order on October 17th.

“So I’ve been looking at retirement for a while. In fact, I was looking at that before the pandemic, but I didn’t want the pandemic to shut us down, so we pushed through that. And now, I just turned 70, so it’s like, you know, I think I’m going to kick back a little bit, said owner Hank Adaniya.

And once Hank made this announcement last week, loyal haute fans have been rushing in to get their fill of their favorite items on the menu.

“I always come every now and then, and because they’re closing, I especially made a special trip because I’m leaving for the mainland tomorrow.” said Lei Hilton of Makakilo.

“We came here because they’re closing, which makes us sad,” said Marci Reeves of Honolulu.

Just by looking at what’s being served, it’s easy to see why Hank’s is such a big hit. These are no ordinary hot dogs; remember, they’re “haute,” which means fancy in French.

“All the different ways they prepare it, I think, you know, you don’t have that at any other place,” said Hilton

“It tastes amazing. They are probably the best hot dogs we’ve ever had, really,” said Reeves.

All of this pre-closing activity has also been a way for loyal customers to come by and say a big mahalo and aloha to the big dog himself, Hank Adaniya.

“You now, it’s overwhelming. We just thought we’d exit quietly,” says Hank. “To see this outpouring of love, appreciation, and patronage is just heartwarming.”

As the end of this hot dog adventure draws near, I learned this from Hank: He may be retiring, but don’t count him out altogether.

“I still love this; I’m going to miss it. So, I’ve talked to a few people. It’s like maybe we’ll pop up here and there and just, you know, from my own personal satisfaction, you know, give a people a chance to taste it again,” he explains.

And that, no doubt, will have many saying “hot diggity dog” to having another Hank’s Haute Dog in the future.

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