I drove 172 miles for a dog last summer. The road trip was spurred by a desire to get reacquainted with the Caspers Famous Hot Dogs chain. It might have been 20 years since my last visit to a Caspers location. Eight-unit, Lafayette, Calif.-based Caspers marks its 75th year in business in 2009. It is known for dogs with casings that snap when you bite into them and is jointly owned by Asbek Inc. and Janrus Inc., who also co-own SPAR Sausage Co.
Caspers’ longevity is noteworthy by any standard. Among its recent accolades: a Zagat “Best Bang For Your Buck” in the Bay Area designation and three to five stars, depending on location, at social networking site Yelp.com. I browsed most of the 91 Caspers-related posts at Zagat.com, and while there were many “They are the best!” type comments, there were also a few about well-worn facilities and service glitches.
My 16-year-old son, Evan, and I hit the Caspers on C Street in Hayward, Calif. That avenue is not particularly well-lit, making the restaurant even more inviting at night than it might normally be, even with the smell of boiling hot dogs and the sight of a shake machine.
We arrived an hour before the 10 p.m. week-night closing time and found two older couples sitting across from each other at the counter around the horseshoe-style preparation and cashiering area. It appeared that one adult employee was working the store.
Taking a look at the wall-mounted, glass-case menu board with press-in plastic letters and numbers, my son observed, “They don’t make them like that any more.”
We ordered three of the chain’s new chicken dogs: two loaded and one with just mustard and tomatoes. The dogs were of good size in steamed buns and the tab came to about $9 before tax. My son and I made quick work of the paper-wrapped bundles, with his first remark, between chews, being, “These are great tomatoes.” I had to agree that the fresh onions, relish, grated cheddar and condiments all were as they should be, contributing to a satisfying nosh.
The concept is from another era. But I don’t doubt that Caspers Famous Hot Dogs attracts multiple generations of sausage fans because it consistently delivers on its goal of “offering high-quality, fresh food at a reasonable price,” as recently explained to me by co-general manager Paul Rustigian.
Such mission statements are common in foodservice, if not clichés. They ring truer, however, when they come from someone whose enterprise has endured more than seven decades.— [email protected]
