WEST TOWN — A West Town hot dog stand has undergone a major rebrand — and its new owners have added breakfast, plant-based options and booze alongside Chicago street-food classics.
Modern Relish has taken over the former Duk’s Red Hots, 636 N. Ashland Ave., which opened 70 years ago and grew into a local chain with more than a dozen locations at one point.
All but one Duk’s Red Hots closed over the years: the original beloved but well-worn West Town spot known for its colorful signs and cheap eats.
Last year, husband-and-wife duo Tony Pagliuca and Angela Villanueva took over the last Duk’s location and oversaw extensive renovations to the property at the corner of Ashland and Erie. They held a grand opening for Modern Relish last week.
In addition to a new indoor space and kitchen, the couple has expanded the patio and added outdoor seating on the north side of the building.
They’re also introducing a range of breakfast items, vegan dogs and burgers, as well as beer, wine, mimosas and, in the next few weeks, slushy cocktails.
“It’s a modern Chicago-style hot dog stand,” Pagliuca said. “We wanted to make it really comfortable and nice, not just a greasy kind of joint. … But really the concept is about just modernizing the hot dog experience. We want to elevate that.”
Owner Mervyn Dukatt opened Duk’s on Ashland Avenue in the mid-’50s with partner Donald Marsalle.
Dukatt and Marsalle called their hot dog stand Donald Duk’s Red Hots, which soon landed the business in hot water with a corporation known as Disney, according to a brief history published by Vienna Beef.
The owners removed “Donald” from the name and went on to sell Chicago street food for decades: Polishes and Italian beefs, but also deeper cuts like tamales, gravy bread and pizza puffs.
For the past 20 years, the face of the hot dog stand has been manager Carol Chavez, a mainstay behind the counter who often greeted customers by name. Like other longtime employees, Chavez is sticking around at Modern Relish. On a recent weekday morning, she was busy prepping classic Chicago dog toppings.
“She really helped us transition very smoothly because she knows the business,” Pagliuca said.
Pagliuca and Villanueva signed a lease for the Duk’s location late last fall after years of working in corporate jobs for McDonald’s and at other companies.
It was their longtime dream to run a “classic, Chicago-style hot dog stand,” Pagliuca said.
“I grew up in Chicago, born and raised on the South Side, in Pilsen. That’s where I’ve lived most of my life. And we always wanted to have a simple hot dog stand. For years we talked about this,” he said. “Toward the end of last year, I said, ‘Are we going to try this or not?'”
Paglicua and Villanueva weren’t able to buy the Duk’s name, so they came up with a new one: Modern Relish, to reflect their vision for an updated hot dog stand.
Renovations were completed in about six weeks this winter and spring, which included adding the new patio and a host of interior fixes.
“Basically, we stripped the interior down to the studs, we redid electrical, plumbing, lighting, and then we built it back up, put in all the finishes,” Paglicua said. “We reconfigured the service area; no more sitting counter. And we wanted to expand our beverage offerings, so we needed more space on that side.”
Those beverages include not only staples like milkshakes and sodas, but also an array of beer, wine, mimosas — and, soon, several slushy cocktails like iced margaritas and vodka lemonade.
Pagliuca hopes neighbors take advantage of the outdoor spaces to enjoy a drink and a snack or a meal. He plans to convert a shipping container into an outdoor bar on the south patio, too.
“In the spring, summer, obviously we want to be able to utilize the patio all the time,” Pagliuca said. “In the fall and winter, we’re considering doing either a tent, or those little igloos you see, just to get through some of the cooler weather.”
And while the original Duk’s sign is gone, the iconic Vienna Beef hot dog sign, complete with curving arrow, remains. It will soon be painted and refurbished, Pagliuca said.
Modern Relish will also unveil its breakfast menu over the next few weeks. Options will include egg sandwiches, burritos, coffee and grab-and-go items like fruit cups and parfaits. The restaurant will sell pastries from nearby West Town Bakery.
Since its grand opening last week, Pagliuca gotten a favorable response from neighbors, especially to the plant-based hot dogs, burgers and “chicken” sandwiches and tenders, he said.
As Modern Relish gets its footing in West Town, Pagliuca and Villanueva could open other locations, similar to Duk’s, he said.
“If we can establish a strong brand here with the quality food that we’re looking for and that modern, umbrella feeling of the Chicago-style hot dog, we’ll definitely look at other locations,” he said.
The West Town location is available for parties and catering. Delivery is available through various apps.
Modern Relish is open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, with plans to extend hours to 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily soon.
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