Every weekend since September, a hot dog stand draws intrigued customers to the corner of 1st Street and M Street in the NoMa neighborhood.
Its proprietor, Isaac Stein, works during the week as a tax lawyer for the Internal Revenue Service. In his spare time, he is the owner and sole operator of Shyster’s Dogs.
Professing to be “the only honest ripoff in D.C.,” Stein’s menu offers only four food options: “correct” hot dogs topped with mustard and sauerkraut, hot dogs with any other combination of toppings, Moon Pies and New Orleans-style chips. Drink options are limited to RC Cola or Diet Coke.
Stein said that every aspect of the business reflects his personal preferences.
“I'm just selling stuff I like,” Stein said. “And what I call the correct hot dog, there’s no game of hide the ball. This is just what I personally think is good.”
His entrepreneurial aspirations began while playing basketball in middle school. At one game, every player on his team was required to work the concession stand for a half-hour. Stein took an immediate liking to concession work.
“I got so much energy from it that I knew that this was something that I wanted to do later in life,” Stein said.
Stein had been kicking around the idea of starting a food business in D.C. for about two years, he said. He knew from the start there would be no better product to sell than hot dogs. More than any other food, hot dogs are a food that everyone has an emotional connection to.
“Hot dogs often trigger specific memories, like the first time at the beach or the first time going to a baseball game,” Stein said. “Because of that, I thought it would be a really fun food to serve.”
He also knew NoMA was the perfect location for the stand, as there are very few street vendors in that neighborhood.
“I thought that there was a demand for it,” Stein said. “I thought it would work.”
After several months of awaiting permits, Shyster’s Dogs opened for business on weekends throughout September. When the government shut down on Oct. 8, Stein found himself furloughed from his IRS job. During the shutdown period, Stein operated the stand full-time.
Stein returned to work at the IRS on Nov. 13, the day after the government reopened. But he sees no end in sight for Shyster’s Dogs.
“If I'm not operating on a given weekend it's because I have to travel for some reason or I've deceased,” Stein said.
More than anything else, Stein is proud of the community Shyster’s Dogs has created.
He has many regular customers. One, he says, had been coming to Shyster’s for a hot dog, an RC Cola and a Moon Pie every day at exactly 12:21 p.m.
“To be able to provide that for him is just, is really, really enjoyable,” Stein said.
Even with the longest shutdown in history now over, Stein looks forward to maintaining his community for many years to come.
“I feel very supported by the people here,” Stein said. “I’m overjoyed at the degree of community support and even though I’m back at work, I absolutely intend to keep doing this at Shyster’s.”
This article was edited by Gabrielle McNamee, Abigail Hatting and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Avery Grossman and Ava Stuzin.
