New hot dog joint Michael's DawgHouse opens in Palatine

Mike Marras is planning a grand opening of his new Palatine restaurant, Michael's DawgHouse.

Marras recently opened the fast food eatery at 809 N. Quentin Road in the Quentin Corners Plaza at Northwest Highway. Hot dogs, burgers, Italian beef sandwiches, gyros, appetizers and fries highlight the menu.

The restaurant business is not new for Marras, who ran a similar eatery in Des Plaines about 25 years ago. Marras then ran his own landscaping company, Michael's Lawn Scaping, for about 18 years until the restaurant industry pulled him back in.

"I wanted to give the restaurant another shot," said Marras, adding that the first time he ran the business, he was naive and young. The Vernon Hills resident said he took over the first restaurant operation from another owner. This time he's starting from scratch. "I'm doing things different this time," he said, adding that he is using fresher, higher quality products.

Marras added that the burgers, chicken and other sandwiches are never frozen. "It's all fresh. I serve Vienna Hot Dogs, which in the Chicago area, is king," he said.

Another highlight are the fresh-cut fries, he added. "This sets us apart. We make the fries daily," said Marras, 52.

The grand opening takes place Monday, April 4 through Saturday, April 9 when he will offer 99-cent hot dogs.

When Marras has free time, he enjoys spending it with his three sons, who play baseball at the high school and college levels. "I enjoy watching them play ball," he said.

The restaurant owner said he plans to be involved in the community and chose the location because of its proximity to Fremd High School.