New hot dog joint to add its flavor to Westwood Village

David Marino never planned to start a business.

He decided to do so, however, after visiting Westwood’s Stan’s Donuts and meeting owner and founder Stan Berman.

Marino will open his new restaurant Fat Dogs in the near future in the little space adjacent to Stan’s.

“I stopped by Stan’s on my way to the valley one time to get a coffee and donut. I saw that the space was available, asked him about it, and here I am,” Marino said.

Marino originally made hot dogs for family, friends, barbecues and other small get-togethers, he said. He used a number of different toppings and a variety of ingredients, and said he always received compliments.

“Friends would tell me that my dogs were really great,” he said. “They told me to open up my own business.”

When it opens, Fat Dogs will become just one of many small businesses to occupy the space next to Stan’s over the last 30 years.

Berman said the donuts and the hot dogs are a perfect set. He said he sold hot dogs at the beginning of his business 46 years ago and stopped about 10 to 12 years ago.

Despite Berman’s enthusiasm, getting the business up and running has been a long and drawn out process, he said.

“After a restaurant has been closed for 90 days you have to go through a whole set-up process again,” Marino said.

There are permits, environmental health requirements, and architectural procedures that need to be completed, all of which can take a couple of months to get all of it sorted out, he added.

“Los Angeles is notorious for trying to be the perfect spot health-wise and whatever while still trying to keep everything fast and quick. It’s a tough place to open a business,” Berman said.

Marino said he expects to be open for business in about one and a half months. To attract customers, he said he would offer one day of free hot dogs and drinks shortly after the grand opening.

The Stand, another hot dog place that opened last spring and is located on the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Kinross Avenue, is a more established restaurant chain.

Marino said he is not deterred by The Stand.

“We’re different. I don’t really see them or others as competition,” he said.

Wendy Kozak, who manages The Stand, said that their chain is going for a “different vibe,” and the two businesses are not competitors.

“(The Stand’s owner) wants to make more of an effort to focus on burgers, a Philly cheesesteak, and other new items we’re putting on the menu,” Kozak said.

The Stand is making a transition away from solely offering hot dogs, she added. However, Kozak said that The Stand’s “Dollar Dog” promotion, where customers can get hot dogs for a dollar between three and five p.m., will likely be affected by competition from Fat Dogs.