Wayne’s Chicago Red Hots, the award-winning St. Helens-area hot dog shop, is moving to the big leagues.
Owner Randy Sanders will open his new restaurant in Portland on Jan. 19.
The new Wayne’s will be located at 3901 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., several blocks from Nike’s Outlet Store.
The last day for the Wayne’s at its present location at the Scappoose Bay Marina is Oct. 20. Sanders plans a "blow-out" party on the last day.
Since opening at its present location in March 2006, Wayne’s has drawn huge raves and a large following. It was Willamette Week’s "Cheap Eats" award winner in 2007. But much of his customer base comes from outside the local area, Sanders said.
"A huge portion of our customers – I’d say 90 percent – come from Portland," Sanders lamented to Coast River Business Journal. "We’ve reached our ceiling for bringing in local customers."
Sanders said the new restaurant, located on the ground floor of a brand new, two- story retail building, will feature the same menu, Chicago sports memorabilia and televised sports, as the original Wayne’s.
Sanders and new business partner, Justin Jung, will operate the restaurant seven days a week.