By Jessica Dillon
A daughter and father-in-law team, Alyssa Underwood and Shawn Lavendar, opened Dog & Dough on King’s Mountain Road in Collinsville, offering a mix of sweets, drinks and unique hot dogs. Lavendar’s wife, Sabrina, also helped with the new venture.
It’s the duo’s first time opening a business.
“It’s always been like a dream of mine and my father-in-law to, kind of, just do it ourselves and do it right,” Underwood said. “We’re kind of picky, so anytime we go somewhere, it’s like, ‘Oh, this is amazing,’ but if we did it this way, we’d like it better.”
She added, “We put our heads together, and now we’re running this together, and we just like the idea of having a family-owned business where we grew up.”
The menu combines items both Underwood and Lavendar enjoy. “He loves hot dogs, and I love donuts. It was like a good cross, and I came up with the loaded dog ideas, and we both brainstormed,” Underwood said.
The restaurant features creative items like a BLT dog and a pizza dog. “It’s a beef hot dog, ballpark style, with marinara, cheese and pepperoni, and we use brioche buns that are cut on the top,” she said. Regular hot dogs are also available, and toppings can be customized.
Underwood particularly enjoys making the shop’s stuffed donuts. “It’s kind of like Bavarian cream, but we make homemade stuffing. Our first week, we did apple pie pudding stuff with actual apple chunks, and we also had a banana pudding stuff, which was inspired by Dunkin’ Donuts banana pudding,” she said.
The menu also includes an extensive selection of drinks, including cream sodas. Underwood gained experience working at another local business before starting her own.
“I worked at Sugar Shack before this, and I wanted to branch off and do my own thing,” she said. “I honestly wanted the experience for when I wanted to do my own thing.”
The team began planning the restaurant in October but encountered problems with their first location. “We put so much work into it — walls, paneling, plumbing, everything. Then we had to have a septic check, and the septic was so old and so bad,” Underwood said. Repairs were estimated at about $20,000.
Within two hours of scouting a new location, they settled on their current spot and opened on Dec. 9. “On our first day, we sold out in an hour. In the first hour, we sold 70 donuts,” she said.
Underwood said her favorite part of the business is connecting with customers. “You know, some people say, ‘I can go to Walmart and get it cheaper.’ I totally agree. I used to be that same person, but once you go into small businesses, you connect with the owner, and you matter more than just going into a big chain,” she said.
Dog & Dough is currently developing a breakfast menu, which will include a smoked sausage croissant with egg and cheese. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The restaurant is located at 5140 King’s Mountain Road in Collinsville.
