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Hot Dog! Stand Boosts Family-Owned Hillsdale Butcher Shop

HILLSDALE, N.J. — People lined the sidewalk in Downtown Hillsdale on Thursday, patiently waiting for Delores Santucci to dish them their dog at Karl Ehmer’s Quality Meats' stand.

Dolores Santucci works the hot dog stand at Karl Ehmer’s Quality Meats in downtown Hillsdale.

Dolores Santucci works the hot dog stand at Karl Ehmer’s Quality Meats in downtown Hillsdale.

Photo Credit: Cecilia Levine
Michael Santucci, Dominick Santucci and Michael Santucci, from left, run the butcher shop in Karl Ehmer's Quality Meats.

Michael Santucci, Dominick Santucci and Michael Santucci, from left, run the butcher shop in Karl Ehmer's Quality Meats.

Photo Credit: Cecilia Levine
The hot dog stand is open year-round outside of Karl Ehmer Quality Meats on Broadway.

The hot dog stand is open year-round outside of Karl Ehmer Quality Meats on Broadway.

Photo Credit: Cecilia Levine
Michael Santucci, of Karl Ehmer Quality Meats.

Michael Santucci, of Karl Ehmer Quality Meats.

Photo Credit: Facebook

It’s a year-round barbecue on Broadway, and store owner Michael Santucci has no intention of spoiling the party. 

His mom, Delores, doesn’t anticipate business slowing down as the days grow colder.

“When a product is good, it sells itself,” she said.

Delores runs the stand each day and operates the shop along with her husband, Dominick, and grandson, Michael.

Hot dog carts may be an all-American concept, but Michael Santucci said the stand is more of a global enterprise.

“It’s like the league of nations out there,” the former Bronx-based butcher said. “We’ve got Hungarian sausage, Polish sausage, Italian sausage. Anything we make in here we put out on the grill.”

The old-fashioned and international shop carries a variety of sausages and meats, all cooked to order on the outdoor grill.The Santuccis can also fill special orders — elk, buffalo, crocodile and kangaroo, for instance.

“A lot of people know what a hot dog is, but they don’t know what a bratwurst or Hungarian sausage is,” Michael Santucci said. “It’s like fishing. Once you try it, you’ve got to go out and buy it.”

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