"First Fridays are a little chaotic and fun," Ades says. "While hot dogs are usually served at family barbecues or sporting events where great moments and memories are shared, we wanted to tap into those fond memories and feelings of joy."
Those feelings are abundant on Roosevelt Row, as flocks of partiers and celebrants rendezvous at the clubs and taverns. Then, once a month, the First Friday shindig draws thousands of attendees to party and dance to live music, shop the street market at various booths, check out the indoor art galleries and street art and get their grub on. For the latter, RoRo Dogs has visitors covered — their $12 specialty dogs are edible masterpieces.
"Donny's favorite, the Chicago Dog, has caught on with the locals," Campbell continues. "It's our best seller."
It's a smoked all-beef hot dog inside a poppyseed bun with a pickle spear, a tomato slice, sport pepper, Chicago relish, diced onion and yellow mustard.
"Oh, and there's a sprinkle of celery salt like in Chicago," Ades adds. "Some people from Chicago come in and say, 'I'm so glad you don't put ketchup in your Chicago Dog.' They're very nice, and they almost dared us to come up with a better dog; no one ever said we have a better one than they can get in Chicago. But one person said, 'It's the best Chicago Dog west of Mississippi.' That's the closest we are going to get."
The two laughed. The fiancees' camaraderie is contagious and reciprocal.
Roosevelt Row's new hot dog shop serves specialty flavors including Chicago and Sonoran dogs.
Gabby Madriaga
"Our Picnic Dog best represents this," he says. "It is served on a locally made onion bun with a base of cole slaw and a long pickle slice, then topped with a smoked all-beef New York dog from Schreiner's Sausages here in Phoenix. Next, we add yellow mustard and hot baked beans and top it off with crumbled Lays barbecue chips."
The hot dog spot also turns up the heat with their version of the Sonoran Dog. It comes in a plain bun with a Cajun andouille pork sausage, pinto beans, smashed avocado with a smidgen of lemon and salt, a tomato slice, diced onions, jalapeños, bacon pieces and Sriracha mayo.
"The only thing we changed with our Sonoran Dog is that we don't wrap the dog in bacon, and we put the Cajun andouille pork sausage because it has a little kick," Campbell says. "Sonoran almost says it has to be a little spicy."
With all of the dogs, patrons have the option to swap out the pork sausage for a beef dog or a vegan Lightlife Smart Dog.
The RoRo Vegan Dog is a treat that comes with an onion bun, a plant-based Lightlife Smart Dog, hummus, lettuce, avocado, tomato, a pickle spear and smoked paprika.
The artistry surpasses the $12 signature dogs which also include the Flamer, BLT, Chili Cheese and American dogs. The 300-square-foot restaurant is an art gallery in its own right.
Visitors are welcomed with a hand-painted Jesse Perry mural along the elongated counter.
"The mural represents the neighborhood," Ades says. "It's a snapshot. So if you are standing across the street and that's our shop right there, it's got a mural of the mural, and everybody depicted are hot dogs."
To the left, there's a lowrider with a "BIG DOG" license plate with a hot dog character driving.
"And right there is Chris and me walking our dog," Ades says. "The dog is represented in a Keith Haring style."
In February, Donny Ades and Chris Campbell opened RoRo Dogs beneath their charming house on Roosevelt Row.
Gabby Madriaga
RoRo Dogs also serves $10 RoRo Chip bags. The chip bags are a familiar dish with many names, such as walking tacos or Tostilocos. At RoRo's, they cut open a bag of Fritos, regular Cheetos or Flamin' Hot Cheetos, and pile the toppings and chopped hot dogs on top of the chips.
As the aroma of sizzling hot dogs fills the air and laughter spills from the store onto Roosevelt Row, RoRo Dogs has quickly become a beloved spot for the neighborhood and during First Friday. The place's been growing in popularity organically despite the two not advertising.
"One night, Chris and I were discussing what to do with this fantastic office space on Roosevelt," Ades concludes. "And I quickly suggested a hot dog shop. Then Chris said, 'Let me think about this.' Ninety seconds later, we decided a hot dog shop is just what the row needs."
