Berkeley’s favorite hot dog spot Top Dog — or are you about to tell us about other, superior ones? — has opened up an outpost in Mission Viejo, Orange County. They’re calling it Berkeley Dog, no doubt to emphasize the cool provenance of the bratwursts.
The owners of the new store, John Chi and Patty Huang, lived in Berkeley for more than six years… and liked what they ate at Top Dog.
According to the Orange County Register, Top Dog is not generally keen to open franchises outside the Bay Area for fear of becoming too commercial, but it made an exception for Chi and Huang because, said Huang, the company appreciated the fact it would be “a mom and pop shop”.
Top Dog has three locations in Berkeley and one in Oakland, and has been cooking up dogs since 1966.
Update 6.18.10: Mark Street from Top Dog in Berkeley got in touch to clarify that, contrary to the report in the Orange County Register, there is no formal link between Top Dog and Berkeley Dog and that Berkeley Dog has not licensed Mr Chi the use of its name or association with the name.
