FOR THE LAST 54 YEARS, The Happy Hound in Los Gatos has served a menu of classic American diner fare: assorted hamburgers, hot dogs and milkshakes, with fries and onion rings as sides.
It’s a formula that works, as attested by the loyalty of longtime customers such as Gary Snyder, who said he only needs to wave his hand to workers at the counter to place his regular order of two mustard dogs.
“I’ve been coming here for over 40 years,” he told San José Spotlight. “I like everything about the place. The food has always been great, but the employees are what keeps me coming back — there are some wonderful people here.”
Not much has changed at the 23-seat diner since it first opened. The Happy Hound is still family owned. The burgers are still a third of a pound, and the hot dogs are still all-beef and eight inches long. Derek Quinet, co-owner and grandson of founder Hugh Dresslar, intends to keep it that way.
“We’ve added things here and there to accommodate vegetarians,” Quinet told San José Spotlight. “But we haven’t changed where we get our food, how we prep it or how we serve it. The flavors and portions never change. We want people to leave happy.”
The diner has its roots in the successful Hound Dog Restaurant in Danville, founded in 1968 by Dorothy Dresslar. She had no experience in the restaurant business and financed it by borrowing against her car. In 1972, following a friendly divorce, banker and now-ex-husband Hugh Dresslar glanced through her books and spotted potential.
“He had business acumen,” Quinet said. “To him, it looked like a money-making operation. So he took from what she was doing and opened this place, where there used to be an Orange Julius.”
Hugh’s son, Dan Dresslar, took it over in 1987 and gave nephew Quinet a job when he had personal difficulties. At first, he was put to work sweeping floors, but he absorbed everything he could from his uncle.
“He was the most kind-hearted person I’ve ever met,” Quinet said. “I learned the business from Dan, and I care for employees the same way. Many have been here up to 20 years, and few quick-serve restaurants can say that about their people.”
Of course, the menu’s lead-off is different takes on all-beef hot dogs, which are steamed but can be grilled on request. Snyder’s favorite, the Happy Hound with mustard, relish, onions and tomato, is also there. As is Quinet’s — the Cheese Hound, piled high with shredded cheddar cheese.
Other variations include hot dogs with chili or sauerkraut, corn dogs (with a vegetarian version available), Polish sausage and the Hell Hound, with cheese, tomatoes, grilled onions, chopped bacon, jalapeños and Angry Sauce — a kicked-up must-try version of Thousand Island dressing that can be substituted on request with any item or ordered separately.
The Mexi-Hound is the sleeper on the menu: a hot dog, chili, onions, tomato and cheese wrapped in a tortilla. It’s sloppy but flavorful, and the meat and bean chili carries just enough heat to register without being overbearing. There’s a burger equivalent, the Mexi-Burger, which also comes in a tortilla.
The Happy Hound is as old-fashioned as you can get, but that’s how the customers like it, and Quinet is determined to please them every way he can with the diner’s food and service.
“People know us,” he said. “You see the same faces a couple of times a week or with their parents on weekends. We greet them with a smile and bring their food out instead of calling their number. That’s the personal experience I would want when I go out to eat.”
Contact Robert Eliason at robt@lostinthestars.com.
Editor’s Note: The Biz Beat is a series highlighting local small businesses and restaurants in Silicon Valley. Know a business you’d like to see featured? Let us know at info@sanjosespotlight.com.
This story originally appeared in San José Spotlight.