Hot dogs; get your hot dogs here

Louie's Texas Red Hots open for business on Webster Street

On Tuesday, Louie's Texas Red Hots owner Louie Galanes celebrated the grand opening of a new location at 18 Webster St., North Tonawanda. He was joined by family, friends and city officials.

The restaurant features an extensive menu, from burgers to homemade Greek spinach pie, with Louie's Texas Red Hots a signature item. The specialty consists of a Sahlen's hot dog grilled on a flat top, served on a steamed roll with mustard, silver-skin onions and topped with Louie's special, 100-percent beef, spicy meat sauce.

"The Texas hot has not been changed in 50 years," said Argyrie Galanes, one of Louie's three daughters, and manager of the new Webster Street location.

Argyrie said the restaurant's famous sauce not only offers flare to Louie's Texas hots, but other popular menu items, as well.

"We put the sauce on everything," she said. "People love the sauce with their french fries ... we do omelets with the sauce, homefries with the sauce - you really can put the sauce on anything, to be honest."

Besides dogs and burgers, Louie's offers an assortment of authentic Greek food, including made-to-order sandwiches such as beef and chicken souvlaki, along with gyros and homemade spanakopita.

Full breakfast all day includes homemade omelets and sandwiches.

Old-fashioned milkshakes made with real ice cream, milk and syrup is another popular item offered at Louie's.

"This type of menu is something people are looking for and the prices are just right," North Tonawanda Mayor Arthur G. Pappas said. He noted the restaurant is going to offer residents of NT and surrounding communities "a different type of food. It's going to offer variety. It's going to offer kind of a neat, quant little place to come."

The first Louie's Texas Red Hots opened May 2, 1967, on Bailey and Delavan avenues, and now there are six other locations in Erie County. The new Webster's location, the seventh, is the first in Niagara County.

"I was always looking around here (in) the northtown," Louie said. "And I've been looking at this street for a number of years."

Galanes said he was interested in opening up his first Niagara County location on NT's Webster Street, in part, because of the surrounding businesses.

"You have the Riviera Theatre; (it) gives you a lot of exposure," he said. "You have a lot of nice shops on this stretch. So, we all help each other."

He added, "Plus, I golf with a lot of guys that live in the northtown - Tonawanda, North Tonawanda, Wheatfield - and they always ask me, 'Louie, when are you going to open one up our way?' Because, you know, they're tired of driving the long ways. They like Texas hots. So, they're happy, I'm happy."

Argyrie said her father is "always looking for areas that aren't really saturated with hot dog restaurants."

Pappas said Galanes picked a great spot to open up in Niagara County.

"I think any new business coming to North Tonawanda is great," he said. "And as far as Webster Street, I think it's a great addition, because it adds a different type of restaurant, a different type of venue and menu. And it's got a variety. The food is very good. It's delicious."

Louie's at Webster Street is open from 7 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 7 to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

For more information, call 716-692-4687 or visit www.louiestexasredhots.com.

Lauren Zaepfel contributed to this report.

FREE HOT DOGS

Grand-opening special offer

On Monday, Sept. 19, Louie's Texas Red Hots, 18 Webster St., will offer a free hot dog with the purchase of a hot dog when you bring in a coupon found in this week's Tribune.

Louie Galanes cuts the ribbon during the grand opening of the new Louie's Texas Red Hots location at 18 Webster St., North Tonawanda. From left are, Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas Executive Director Angela R. Johnson-Renda, Vaso Kroto, North Tonawanda Mayor Arthur G. Pappas, Louie Galanes, Argyrie Galanes, Stacy Galanes and chamber Treasurer Cindy Burkett. (Photos by Lauren Zaepfel)