Franktuary becomes latest Pittsburgh hot dog shop to close

There is one less option in Pittsburgh for folks seeking an A-list hot dog.

First, it was The Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland, closing early in the pandemic. Then D’s Six Pax and Dogz in Regent Square caught fire last August and closed for several months. (It just reopened this week.)

Now Franktuary, the Lawrenceville destination hot dog shop and bar, has announced it will permanently close by the end of January.

The William Penn Tavern in Shadyside has had an interest in Franktuary’s Butler Street location and made an offer to buy out the lease, said Franktuary owner Tim Tobitsch.

Tobitsch accepted.

“It made a lot of sense right now with the pandemic and the debt we have remaining,” Tobitsch said. “It’s going to put us in a healthier position moving forward so we decided to take the offer. We’re waiting for the liquor license to transfer and then the deal will be complete.”

Tobitsch said Franktuary will still have its food truck.

“It’s something I have mixed emotions about,” Tobitsch said. “I’ve been doing this ever since I finished college and started the restaurant Downtown 17 years ago. It’s all I’ve known as an adult.

“But the pandemic has changed the dining scene significantly,” he said. “I‘d like to be able to reset for a post-pandemic world.”

Tobitsch said a restaurant like his relies on volume, which makes it a challenge when there are fewer people dining out and delivery services take 25% to 30% out of every sale.

Franktuary opened in Downtown Pittsburgh in 2004, in the basement of Trinity Cathedral, and moved to Lawrenceville in 2013.

“We have the truck so there will be some Franktuary presence in Pittsburgh on some level. It’s definitely bittersweet,” Tobitsch said. “A lot of people have had good times (at the Lawrenceville location). Maybe down the road we’ll have another space.”