'Dog Squad' Opens at Acorn Alley

Kent foodies have another restaurant to choose from: The Dog Squad.

The gourmet hot dog shop opened this weekend in in the sushi space.

owners Danielle Urban and fellow Portage county native Michael Tribuzzo partnered to serve gourmet hot dog creations to Acorn Alley visitors. The Dog Squad menu has a variety of options available seven days a week.

“Quite a few people stopped in during Heritage Festival,” Urban said. “Even if they were too hot to eat they were excited to see the shop and plan for their next visit.”

The Dog Squad patrons can build their own hot dog or choose one of the suggested specialty dogs. A premium beef or turkey frank is the base for your choice of more than 20 toppings.

The Dog Squad offers fresh cut French fries, sweet potato fries, regular or vegetarian chili, homemade mac and cheese or pasta salad as great sides to your dog. Plans are in the works for a vegetarian and vegan hot dog. Urban and Tribuzzo are planning on having weekly specials and creating a Kent themed specialty dog.

The co-owners designed a menu with a variety of combination options.

“The specialty dogs take the guess work out of combing flavors,” Tribuzzo said. “People can also be more adventurous building their own hot dog with toppings.”

The Dog Squad is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Saturday. You can take your hot dogs to go or eat at the window counter. Customers can also enjoy the city-scape three wall mural painted by local artists Justin Roberts and Jon Gibby.