Quinten and Natasha Shock are launching Dog-Gon-It, a specialty hotdog stand, this weekend at Thompson Berry Park. The rotating menu boasts an assortment of gourmet beef hot dogs and homemade lemonade.
Quinten has many years of experience in the restaurant industry and has always wanted to open his own place. He currently drives for CRS OneSource and says Dog-Gon-It is merely a launching pad for future aspirations.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to open my own restaurant,” Quinten said. “I worked in the business for 20 years. Now, I’m on the other side of it, but I’m looking forward to returning to customer service and giving back to the community.”
Quinten’s father suffered a stroke when Quinten was a teenager, and one of his favorite sayings was, “doggone it.” After his dad passed 2 years ago, Quinten wanted to find a way to honor him, hence the name Dog-Gon-It.
Quinten’s father also regularly said, “Good, good” — which fits the company’s slogan of “That’s a good good dog” — and “Good golly,” which is the name of one of the hotdogs.
“After my dad passed away, I wanted to find a way to honor him,” Quinten said. “I’ve had a lot of support from my family and work.”
The stand will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at Thompson Berry Park. On June 8 and 9, they will also attend the Street Soccer Tournament at Legion Park.
Top dogs on the menu include the Backyard Dog, Longhorn Frank, The New Yorker, “Shock” Ago Dog, the Reuben, the Mama Jo, and the Nacho Frank. The toppings on each do vary drastically.
Natasha said the menu will change depending on the location, as some dogs are more appropriate for specific settings.
“These are all-beef, high-quality hot dogs. They are not your average dog,” Natasha said. “You can’t find them at your local supermarket.”
Dog-Gon-It also offers scratch-made “Granny’s Lemonade,” which Natasha said features secret ingredients. Strawberry and blue raspberry flavors are also available.
Natasha is a teacher at Owensboro Middle School and, like Quentin, said this is a great way to ease into the food business while having fun. Not only are the Shocks navigating the food business, but they also fabricated the entire trailer from scratch.
“God has opened up doors for us and allowed us to do this,” Natasha said. “Everyone has been so supportive, and we’re excited to open.”
