After 50 years, Mel is no longer behind the counter at Mel’s Hot Dogs.
Mel Lohn opened his iconic hot dog spot, at 4136 E Busch Blvd, on July 3 of 1973, and put the business up for sale a few months ago, saying he was looking for someone willing to carry on his legacy.
“I wouldn’t sell it to someone who’s going to change it,” said the 76-year-old Lohn to WTVT. “Where am I gonna go for a hot dog?”
The exact details of the entire sale have not been released. But according to Hillsborough County records, HD Holding Company LLC purchased the property for $435,000 on Sept. 7.
Longtime Temple Terrace residents and brothers Mark, Doug and Stephen Szabo, are the partners behind the LLC, reports the Tampa Beacon.
“We knew there were some contingencies … and he wanted someone who wasn’t going to come in and change everything,” said Mark Szabo to the publication. “And I think we hit it off pretty quickly. He liked our story, you know, he trusted us, I think, that we wouldn’t do any of those things.”
Michael Braccia of Bay Street Commercial was the listing agent, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that Mel and his wife Virginia had over 250 serious inquiries into the business, but the Szabo’s were a great fit.
While the hot dogs will likely stay the same, a representative with Mel’s told CL that a few small changes are in the works, like an expanded beer menu, ice cream options, and new hours, which includes staying open on Sundays.
Known for Chicago-style hot dogs, hot Italian beef sandwiches, and pictures on the walls of people all over the world in “Sit. Stay. Good Dog.” t-shirts, Mel’s has been a generational fixture for Tampa residents, and anyone coming or going from nearby Busch Gardens.
