Hot dog stand hits Michigan lake

Drive-through on a pontoon caters to the boating crowd

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06/30/10 Ben Beversluts / Holland Sentinel

Holland — It's a "drive-through for anything that floats."

Sun Dog Nautical Refreshments, a hot dog stand on pontoons, recently hit the waters of Lake Macatawa with hopes of being a hit with the Holland boating crowd.

"If it floats, we'll serve it," said Josh Elzinga, 36, who launched Sun Dog with longtime friend Joel Russcher, 50. Both men like boating and are into electronics in their other careers. Food service is a completely new venture.

"We don't quite know what to expect," Elzinga said, "but we're hoping to have fun, and we'll be out on the water. "I've been a boater my entire life and always had this dream."

The two Park Township men bought a 1976 25-foot pontoon boat and 1973 50-horse Johnson outboard last winter and have been busy rigging it with a stainless steel grill, steam tables, and a full-sized refrigerator and freezer — and the generator to run them.

"We've got this sucker decked out, man," Elzinga said.

They painted the boat and fitted it with 15-foot flags from the stern shouting "ice cream" and "hot dogs." They'll sell hot dogs, bratwurst, chips, ice cream, pop and water to boaters who pull up to order or call ahead. They'll be able to pull up to people's docks, as well, although Coast Guard regulations won't allow any customers onboard.

Elzinga said the pair ran the gamut of official OKs, from Coast Guard to sheriff's department to health department to townships. The Coast Guard requires they stay out of shipping lanes and off Lake Michigan.

The boat will be docked at Yacht Basin Marina, and the two figure they'll mostly hang out for business in the area near the old Point West, south of the Lake Michigan channel.

Sales expectations? "Hopefully a million dollars," Elzinga said.