AMHERST, Ohio — More than 19 months after it went up in flames in an overnight fire, the Hot Dog Heaven restaurant is back in Amherst.
The newly rebuilt Hot Dog Heaven location, which can be found at 493 Cleveland Avenue, made its official return Monday.
The hot dog joint has been a family staple in the area since the 1970s. After the fire, Hot Dog Heaven transitioned into a food truck business while crews prepared to rebuild the restaurant.
“Amherst may be known as the Sandstone Capital, but Hot Dog Heaven is an icon that people from all around are familiar with,” the owners wrote on their site after the September 2020 fire.
Multiple 3News viewers expressed their sadness about the fire on Facebook shortly after the flames broke out. Here's a sample:
- It's a very sad day here in Amherst. Been going here for over 40 years." -- Jeanne Kingsbury.
- "A big loss for most of us! Prayers for great people & food! Wow I just can't imagine it not being there. Prayers they can rebuild & start over." -- Etta Heck.
- "My parents took me as a kid. I took my kids and my kids took their families there." -- Kirsta Wilson.
- "This is heartbreaking." -- Natalie Lukasewski.
- "Was going there today." -- Brenda Suttle Johnson.
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Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in a previous story on Sept. 1, 2020.