cjshotdogs

Published: Wednesday, March 04, 2009
CJ's attracts hot dog-lovin' following

By Johnny Jackson

jjackson@henryherald.com

Locust Grove resident, Luis Acosta, found CJ's Hot Dogs by chance.

Traveling through McDonough, he happened to glance over at the restaurant storefront and figured he would stop by to see what the specialty hot dog shop had to offer.

A native of Chicago, Ill., he decided to challenge the shop by ordering a familiar snack, which can be hard to come by in the South. He ordered a Chicago-style hot dog on a poppy seed bun.

"It's the same," said a gratified Acosta. "It's great."

Acosta is one of many new customers who trickle into the hot dog shop out of curiosity. The business sits just below a main thoroughfare in McDonough, located at 593 Jonesboro Road.

Customers describe the shop as a friendly, inviting place to visit. Public safety workers are held in especially high regard. CJ's Hot Dogs Owner Darren Miller, a former Dekalb County firefighter, created a wall of public-safety patches at the restaurant to honor the service of public safety workers. He started with a single patch -- his own. The rest, about three dozen or more, were donated by customers.

The shop is named after the daughters of Miller and former co-owner, Dean & Amy Patterson. The "C" in the name represents Patterson's 16-month-old daughter, Charlee, and the "J" stands for Miller's 17-year-old daughter, Jordan, who works at the shop.

"I like it, and I have fun working here," said Jordan, a junior at Union Grove High School.

Miller, 43, said he opened the shop partly with his daughter in mind. "I just want something for her later on in life, so she may not have to work as hard as I've had to work," he said.

Open since February 2008, the restaurant already has a hefty following. Regular customers frequent the shop during the week at lunch time and on Fridays and Saturdays. Miller closes on Sundays, in order to attend church at McDonough Christian Church, with his wife of 23 years, Pam, and their daughter.

"The good Lord has blessed me with a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter," he said. "So, I return the favor."

CJ's Hot Dogs offers nearly two dozen, different specialty hot dogs, along with sides, soft drinks, and a few other short-order dishes.

From the traditionally topped bratwurst, to the health-conscious turkey dog, to the fiery Mexican hot dog, the shop boasts of being a jewel in metro Atlanta, offering unpretentious, American cuisine.

"Half of Henry County is already our customer," said Miller. "We've got people who come up here regularly from Jackson, Ga. We've even had someone who has driven from Gainesville, Ga., after hearing about CJ's."

The shop's reputation is based mainly on its specialty hot dogs, but people also speak about its neighborly atmosphere.

"Everybody says it's the best hot dog in the state," Miller said. "But people like that it's family-owned, and we treat our customers like family, and they just like the way we make our hot dogs."

"It's a lot of camaraderie and joking around with people there," said Pam. "We're real family-oriented. It's become like a second family to us. It's just very, very friendly at our restaurant, and I love everything about it."

CJ's Hotdogs

"Home of the Big Dawg"