Frank Kasiaras, the eponymous hot dog purveyor, and his buddy, Phillip Wieczkowski, peddle wieners to hungry Mets fans from a dusty sidewalk at the edge of Willets Point, the industrial enclave near Shea Stadium."This is my livelihood," Kasiaras said one day recently as dogs sizzled on the curbside stand at the corner of 126th St. and 34th Ave. "There is money here."
But Frank and Phil, like the owners of some 260 businesses in Willets Point, are worried the good times may not last much longer now that the city is pushing to redevelop the gritty strip into a megadevelopment.
Frankly speaking, hot dog stand is in limbo
"All of my life I've been trying to do something," said Kasiaras, who first lit his grill on 126th St. earlier this year. "And then when I finally get a chance it may not be there anymore."
When the tavern went belly up, Frank and Phil decided to start grilling for a living, and applied to the city for a wiener stand license.
They opened last year on Broadway and 51st. Ave. in Elmhurst - and nearly lost their shirts. But then Kasiaras "stumbled" upon solid-gold frankfurter real estate - a vendor-less sidewalk across from Citi Field, Shea Stadium's heir apparent.
But their successful spot is in jeopardy if the City Council approves Mayor Bloomberg's controversial Willets Point redevelopment plan in November. But Frank's Franks could get booted in other ways.
The Parks Department, which owns the Citi Field land, has yet to talk with Mets honchos about the future of vendors who work the area surrounding the new ballpark, which is set to open next year, said a city source.
Sorry, kids, the Mets are going upscale and what you're selling is not on the menu anymore.
6 comments:
no Mets Fans go anywhere near this. Hes on the triangle side of the street near the citi field construction site. a chain link fence and busy 126th stret separates him from the shea parking lot.
More BS by the anti development folks. The article reads like he's been there for 40 years. The guy just moved there THIS YEAR>.
The Daily News is "anti-development folks"? Didn't they put out an editorial that you were praising which said the project needs to happen? It's a story about 2 guys who sell hot dogs. Relax.
The article is very clear about when this happened and where.
Perhaps you're feeling pangs of guilt about displacing working men so you can enjoy a beer near where grown men toss a ball around?
Hey, don't be so quick to condemn the city for this. They're just trying to protect the public health by putting guys like these out of business so that they can't poison people anymore with their cheap "street meat."
Fans should be protected from such predators. They should only be allowed to get their hot dogs the safe and sanitary way--by buying the smaller, tasteless ones inside the ballpark for $5.00 each. And of course an $8.00 beer or $5.00 soda to wash it down with.
After all, it's for our own good.
"dave in milwaukee"
the streets east of 126th are a barren wasteland and should be re developed
i drove thru there 2 days ago and it is a festering mess of dirt roads and illegals fixing cars and stripping cars and god knows what else
good f'in riddance
Here we go again.
$12 for a slice of shitty Pizza and dixie cup of Coke at Jones Beach Theater.
Sombody should invest in a steel undergarment factory.
..Ya know like the scuba glove material divers use around sharks.
.....only you wear it on your ass !
-Joe
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