Hot Dog Factory, Ventura

Hot Dog Factory

Lowes Parking Lot

500 Mills Road

Ventura

So it works like this. Sometimes, I'm a little hungry. Not a lot hungry, like a hamburger hungry, but a little hungry. And sometimes I'm a little hungry because I've been working on some household project that has caused me to work through my normal lunch time, but it's pretty close to dinner. And sometimes I'm a little hungry because I've been working on a project through lunch, and I'm at Lowe's to buy something and I want to get something to eat that won't spoil my dinner.

And though there was a lot of sometimes in that last paragraph, those sometimes can occur frequently, which makes the Hot Dog Factory perfect.

There are daily specials, and I've had a few of their more exotic sausage offerings-smoked chicken apple, smoked chicken garlic and the polish were all tasty, but the last time I was there, I wanted something basic. I got the Hot Dog special, which was a hot dog, small soda and small bag of chips. At $5, it was perfect! Filling, but not overly so, and it didn't spoil my dinner.

Clean even after lunch.

Note the menu board and daily special.

The Hot Dog Factory uses Hoffy hot dogs, which are boiled, meaning they have a nice pop when they are bitten, and steamed buns. On the side of the stand, there is a full variety of self-serve condiments. And the whole area is spotless, the counter tops, the tables, even the trash can looks to have been wiped clean. Inside the cooking area, things look very clean too. And though that shouldn't seem unusual, the stand has been there for a number of years, and still looks new. There's no sense of "clean enough," and since it's outside a home improvement store where the customers might be coming in with dirty hands, the fact that the tables and chairs outside are still clean becomes unusual.

So, I'd have to say that the Hot Dog Factory has the best hot dogs in the city, especially when the price is factored in. Not as cheap as Sam's Club or Costco, but both of those are in Oxnard and sometimes the line negates the value of the food. And though neither Sam's or Costco are necessarily dirty, they also aren't anywhere near as clean.

I haven't tried their other menu options, like their coffee or smoothies, but I might someday. But why get those when the Hot Dog Factory has a delicious dog ready to order?