Landmark Los Gatos, Calif. Hot-Dog Shop Badly Damaged by Fire

March 04--LOS GATOS -- A collective wave of heartache and nostalgia washed over the town after the Happy Hound, a venerable hot-dog franchise that slowly but surely morphed into a local landmark, was heavily damaged by a fire early Monday.

Owner Dan Dresslar is vowing to rebuild and re-open within a month's time, even as he admits that might be a bit optimistic.

The fire was reported at 4:48 a.m. and spread through the roof and a storage area, according to the Santa Clara County Fire Department. Chief fire investigator Dennis Johnson estimated damage at $100,000 but said much of the interior of the restaurant was unscathed, except for the lingering smell of smoke.

Dresslar, whose parents opened the Happy Hound 42 years ago, lives near the restaurant and was awakened by firefighters.

"It's devastating," Dresslar said. "I couldn't believe it when I walked out of the house. It's my whole livelihood."

The fire was reported by a passerby, who saw flames coming out of the side of the restaurant, Johnson said. Firefighters spent about 30 minutes extinguishing the blaze.

The fire seems to have started in a storage area, Johnson said. Investigators are still looking for a cause but do not believe it was suspicious.

The eatery was actually a second incarnation after Dorothy Dresslar opened the original Happy Hound (then named the Hound Dog) in Danville in 1968, serving only hot dogs, bags of potato chips and canned soda. Three years later, in 1971, her ex-husband Hugh Dresslar brought it to Los Gatos Boulevard just a stone's throw from Blossom Hill Road.

Dan Dresslar bought and took over the restaurant in 1987, and over time the menu expanded from hot dogs to include hamburgers, to the point where there was a playful debate over whether it was a hot-dog stand -- even as its modest footprint included indoor seating -- or a burger joint.

When the restaurant threw a 40th anniversary bash two years ago, fans commemorated what had grown from something residents once thought would open the floodgates for traffic headaches and the proliferation of fast-food dives, to a beloved staple of the community.

In one instance, a woman bought four dogs and had them flown to her mother in Hawaii.

Dresslar said several customers stopped by the restaurant Monday morning and offered support, and encouraged him to reopen for business quickly.

"As fast as we can," Dresslar said.