The restaurant opened in August with a modern version of the classic hot dog.

By BESSIE KING

When looking for a fast meal for $2 to $3 in New York, hot dogs are usually an easy , inexpensive choice. After all, the city has 3,100 food cart vendors, and that’s just the listed ones.

But to appeal to those seeking healthier — and fancier — options, Joshua Sharkey and Brandon Gillis recently opened Bark in Brooklyn, where the dogs go for $4 to $7.  In Wall Street terms, that’s 33% to more than 100% above the average price.

“People from the gym have come here to eat since they opened up so I came to try it,”  said Greg Cameron, a trainer at the Crunch Gym across the street from Bark.  “If they weren’t good dogs I wouldn’t be here again. For that price I could buy two packs of veggie hot dogs at the supermarket.”

The restaurant opened at 474 Bergen St. in late August with a modernized version of the classic hot dog, chili cheese dog, onion rings, toppings and more. The meat of the dogs is rosy pink, juicy, and tender. The buns are buttery and warm, and the onion rings have just the right oil-to-seasoning ratio.

The meat of the dogs is rosy pink, juicy, and tender

“Our goal is to change the way fast food is perceived,” said Gillis. ” You should always have good food across the board.  We wanted everything to be very classic and we focused on the ingredients and how to make the menu items better.”

Gillis received his training at the French Culinary Institute in New York, while Sharkey studied at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. The pair met while working together at Tabla restaurant, in Manhattan, and started Clove, a catering company, in 2003. During that business venture, the idea to serve quality fast food developed.

“Each dog is different and we take our sourcing very seriously; from our bacon to the cheese to our sodas that have no corn syrup.  We appeal to the conscientious consumer but the food also has to taste amazing so that the street passer-by can come and enjoy it,” added Gillis.

The choice of ingredients is reflected in every menu item. The beans, used for baking and in the chili, come from a small business in Maine; the corn-syrup-free Foxon Park sodas are made in Connecticut; and the beer is from Brooklyn’s Six Point brewery. The produce the chefs choose is locally grown and an Austrian butcher, who uses hormone-free organic meats, individually makes and cases each hot dog with a mix of beef and pork meats or all beef.

The care for detail even extends to the trash.

The care for detail even extends to the trash. Aside from recycling, the leftovers and scraps from cooking are gathered each day and given to a company that creates industrial-use compost. The paper goods where food is served are also biodegradable.

Yet, with all the efforts to serve good food and be socially conscious, there’s still the $3 million initial investment to make back.

“I don’t know if I would pay that much for it.  If it weren’t so far I’d be willing to try it. I’ve spent up to $12 in gourmet fast food but that’s closer to me,” said Ian Phillips, a New Yorker marketing specialist.

Still, the partners at this business are confident they will have success while making a difference.

“There’s always people who disagree with what you’re doing but when you look at the big picture, if at least 10 percent of our customers can become aware and say, ‘we need to do something to treat our world better,’ while eating good food we’re happy,” said Gillis.