By: Clare Daly | Assistant Editor
For 117 long days, 464 Thames Street sat vacant. The 5th Ward neighborhood, popular for its abundance of off-campus housing, was drained of hot dogs, burgers, and shakes that could be charged to a student’s equivalent of a tab— a Salve ID— until Wally’s Wieners opened their bright yellow doors to Newport on February 5.
Three years ago, Wally’s owner Brad Head named his fleet of hot dog carts after his beloved goldendoodle, Wally. Even before gaining a reputation among Rhode Islanders for his sizzling Saugy’s franks and his positive attitude, Head dreamt of opening a brick-and-mortar location. When the former site of Harry’s Bar and Burger opened up a few months ago, Head and investors jumped at the chance to introduce Wally’s to an even larger audience.
The restaurant’s white, textured walls are a dedicated gallery of canine candids and vintage photos and advertisements, making for a scavenger hunt to find a lookalike of your furry friend or a walk down memory lane. Upon entering the teal-and-orange painted interior, one is drawn to the pick-up counter featuring a hand-painted mural of canines with visions of Wally’s wieners and the Pell Bridge in the reflection of their sunglasses. Many members of the friendly and attentive staff are Salve students or alumni, and it’s not uncommon to see one of them sporting a hot dog costume rather than the standard peach uniform tee.
Dogs of all kinds (hot, corn, veggie, and of course, pet) are the pillar of the Wally’s ethos. Pups are even present on the menu. In the Wally Dog ($6.50)— a frank served with bacon, peppers, onions, and spicy Wally sauce served on a Martin’s potato roll, and the Wynter Burger ($9.00)— an all-beef hamburger with American cheese, Wally’s signature bacon onion jam, and the house burger sauce. The Wynter Burger, named after Head’s other dog, is a favorite of restaurant manager Chase Richmond, who describes it as the perfect food for a weekend night walk home from O’Brien’s and raves over the bacon onion jam. According to Richmond, other standout items include the Thames Street Fries and the Bleu Dream Burger, an entry in this year’s Newport Burger Bender contest. The menu covers all palates from vegetarian to carnivore with sides, salads, and everything in between. The Frito Pie is a particularly fun choice, with chili nacho cheese served over a bag of Frito chips.
Picky eaters need not worry as the creative menu didn’t miss out on classics! A standard hot dog ($4.00) and a side of fries ($2.50) are staples both the American diet and the Wally’s Wieners’ menu. Like the signature hot dogs, the “Barkin’ Buns” items (a.k.a. non-hot dog entrées) are served on rich Martin’s potato rolls. Richmond also recommends the Chopped Cheese ($7.00), a tasty dish made of ground beef, peppers, onions, American cheese and burger sauce.
These dogs may be delicious, but this joint’s magnum opus lies in The Wally Challenge. The task at hand: eat an order of Thames Street Fries, a quadruple-decker Mac burger on a grilled cheese bun, one Wally Wiener, one Chili dog, one Nashville Hot chicken sandwich, one Slaw dog, Buffalo dog, and one chocolate milkshake to wash it down… all in fifteen minutes or less! The contest runs Monday through Thursday, and the winner receives a Wally’s wieners T-shirt, and if the challenger beats the record their meal is free! Only one has completed it so far; could you be next?
Each day of the week presents a new opportunity for Wally’s to host an event or a promotion. Mondays are Trivia Night, complete with chicken wings and camaraderie. Tuesdays feature a $10 Meal Deal, offering one wiener and one canned beer for a single Hamilton. Wednesdays are Wiener Wednesdays, where one free classic hot dog comes with every wiener purchased. Multiple combo options are available daily. For the Super Bowl, Wally’s turned on the NFL’s biggest night on their three flat-screen TVs for an excited crowd.
This Friday night, March 4, the restaurant is celebrating their new cocktail menu with half price wieners and a party from 5 p.m. to close in their upstairs lounge, dubbed “The Copper Room.” This upscale dining room, complete with a full bar and a mixologist, is also available for private functions and events. Plans to expand the drink menu and the potential of the space are in the works, including theme events and movie nights, Richmond said. Currently the roster of alcoholic drinks includes a selection of canned beers, hard seltzers, draft beers, beer cocktails, three types of sangria, and various wines.
Wally’s currently offers dine-in and takeout, and partners with Grubhub, Doordash and local business Newport Dine Out for delivery. Soon, Salve students will have the ability to charge their meals using Seahawk Bucks at any time. The restaurant is open late seven days a week: Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 10 pm, and Friday & Saturday from 11 am to 1 am.
Wally’s wieners is a welcome addition to Lower Thames Street and provides an affordable, fun venue for Salve students to chow down on a burger, bun, or dog.
For more information, visit wallywieners.com or check out @wallyswieners on Instagram, @wallywienersri on TikTok and @wallydogcart on Facebook.
