If you like hotdogs and you like french fries, why not put them together on a stick?
That’s the brilliant idea behind the potato dog at Oh K-Dog, a new Korean-style fast food restaurant that is drawing crowds at 208 College St. in New Haven.
Lines have been forming regularly outside the eatery since it opened three weeks ago, especially on weekends and when class gets out at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School across the street.
“I didn’t expect this,” said Sen Lin, who owns the New Haven outpost of Oh K-Dog with two partners. He moved to Connecticut during the pandemic and thought New Haven would appreciate Oh K-Dog, a chain that is expanding nationwide.
“I’m pretty happy,” Lin said of the restaurant’s reception.
What’s the draw? A new-to-New Haven combo of affordable, tasty and filling fast food with Instagram appeal. That potato dog, enrobed with cubes of golden potato in a fluffy rice-flour batter, is about all you could want in a cheap meal, especially slathered with spicy Korean chili sauce.
Vegetarians can opt for a stick of rice cake or mozzarella instead of meat, offering a gooey show worthy of a social media post. Other coating options include that fluffy rice batter for a corn-dog-like experience, or even a half-meat, half-mozz dog coated with a squid-ink flavored batter.
The restaurant also features Korean egg toast, a street food favorite that sandwiches egg or avocado in thick slices of bread topped with mayo and hot sauce. Super-sweet Korean soft drinks, crunchy snacks and slushies round out the menu.
In addition to its portable and on-trend food, Oh K-Dog boasts a key location, close to the high school, biotech cluster and Yale’s medical and main campuses.
Business has been so good on College Street that Lin said he has worked 20 days in a row with no break, and he’s planning to hire more staff. He’s already looking to the suburbs for potential expansion, following the lead of recent Asian-inspired concepts like boba tea, Thai rolled ice cream and poke.
One complication at Oh K-Dog has been supply chain issues, which have driven up the price of Korean raw materials like rice flour and bread and delayed some overseas shipments. But Lin said he’s making do.
“I cannot complain as long as business remains busy,” Lin said.
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
