*** Business-Tribe Architect Ann N. Videan, APR, demonstrates word-of-mouth marketing via life and lens to bring you yet another one of Life’s Little Pleasures ***
My family eats lunch together once a week near Arizona State University (ASU). It give us a chance to see our son Cutter (who lives in the Barrett Honors College) and is convenient because my husband Bob works in IT at ASU. One of our favorite spots for lunching is Dave’s Doghouse in Wilson Hall on the Tempe campus. We are not alone! These “East Coast Gourmet Hot Dogs” are a favorite of ASU President Michael Crow, too. (His staff recommended a Doghouse gift certificate when USA Today reporters asked how best to thank Crow for his interview time.)
The plaque reads, "Presented to Dave Cheren to commemorate the sale of more than one million copies of the Carousel Records' pop single record Precious and Few."
I only know this last detail because I recently interviewed the owner of this great little hot dog establishment, Dave Cheren. But, I’m getting ahead of myself…
It all started one day while Bob stopped by Dave’s alone for lunch and noticed a gold record for “Precious and Few” on the wall. (This #3 Billboard tune sold over one million copies, and received a gold disk awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America in February 1972.) Wondering, obviously, why this hit record by Climax (born out of the ashes of The Outsiders) graced the lobby of a hot dog place, Bob asked Dave about it. After hearing the gist of Dave’s story from my “stringer,” I decided to go interview Dave so I could share his story with you. After all, it is unique. Plus, I got another delicious gourmet hot dog out of the visit. Yum!
Before I share Dave’s years as a Hollywood insider, though, let me first describe what he’s got going on at his establishment, and why his most frequent customer comment is, “This is the best hot dog I’ve ever had.”
Dave Cheren, owner of Dave's Doghouse at ASU
In our interview, Dave talked about a Boston hot dog he remembered from his childhood days growing up in the Boston neighborhood of Dorcester, MA. He’d often dreamed of finding that flavor again. When he set about founding Dave’s Doghouse, his goal was to recreate this perfect flavor memory. It took two years and his picky palate to do it. He tested, over and over, every ingredient he uses in his shop. He special orders the relish and the French fries. The buns are specially made in a local bakery.(Mouth watering yet?)
He also searched high and low for the special trays and bun slicing machine — which simultaneously cuts the center of several loaves, and slices off the outside of the buns. Ultimately, he found those in an old Ohio warehouse. The result of all his hard work? Dave’s Doghouse serves up deliciously juicy, grilled Boston hot dogs smothered with your favorite condiments. But, the real draw? The bun. Oh, the garlic-butter encrusted bun…inside and out! Can you say, heaven? And, that is just the beginning. Homemade chili. Chicken and beef East Coast Sliders. Breakfast sausage w/ egg and cheese. Really, you MUST try this place. Forget the campus parking. Forget the walk. It’s worth it, I’m telling you. Go today.
So, what does all this have to do with gold records? Well, Dave is a lawyer of 42 years, starting in LA, with an office in Phoenix. As he worked to build his practice, Dave traveled up and down the West Coast looking for singers. He met musician Sonny Geraci, and represented his band The Outsiders. Dave fed and clothed the group, and paid their rent for three years, until their song “Precious and Few” was discovered. One evening, a bowling alley, on-air DJ in Santa Barbara played the song back-t0-back with the group’s moderate 1960s hit ”Time Won’t Let Me.” A record label executive just happened to drive through the city at that moment and the songs caught his ear. Within a few weeks, “Precious and Few” rose to the top of the Billboard charts. The band earned Best New Group and Best Song for 1972.
In the 1970s, Dave represented Iron Butterfly. Their one-hit wonder “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” is on the 31st best-selling album in the world…ever. Dave says the song was originally called “In A Garden of Eden,” but the band members’…um…state of mind…prevented them from pronouncing it correctly.
While representing a number of other musicians, Dave also hobnobbed with Hollywood legends. That simply required hanging out with his (first) wife, who was Natalie Wood’s screen double until Wood’s tragic death in 1981. Dave recalls rubbing elbows at wrap parties at the Riviera Country Club with the likes of Sean Connery, and with Max von Sydow (pronounced Seedov), and Ernie Kovaks. While his wife worked The Great Race with Woods, he met Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk and Kennan Wynn. Catch a photo of that on the Dave’s Doghouse History Web page.
“Director Bob Mulligan [To Kill a Mockingbird] became a good friend,” Dave said. “I asked him to help me get into the movie business, but he refused. He told me it was a terrible business and encouraged me to stay in law.”
The switch to purveyor of gourmet dogs came after a serious skiing accident and three years of subsequent surgeries, requiring Dave to leave his full-time law practice. The experience led him to fulfill his life-long dream to share his delicious hot dog memories with the world. (Watch for Dave’s Doghouse Franchises to pop up on college campuses everywhere in the coming years.)
Thanks to Dave for sharing his intriguing life story and all those yummy Boston hot dogs. Care to join me?
