Community helps vendor reopen after hot dog stand was stolen
A beloved hot dog cart will soon be back in business after someone stole the cart from a Plaza Midwood parking lot earlier this week.
We first reported on Wednesday when someone stole the Happy Hound Hot Dog Cart from the parking lot at Hattie’s Tap and Tavern. Since then, the bar has been raising money to get the owner a new one.
On Friday, Channel 9′s Hannah Goetz spoke with Tom Neelon, the owner of the hot dog cart, about the community’s support to help him.
RELATED: Food cart stolen from Plaza Midwood tavern parking lot
“I feel really safe here and meet all kinds of cool people I wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet if I didn’t have a hot dog cart,” Neelon told Goetz.
He’s known in Plaza Midwood for his kindness, along with his tie-dye T-shirts, in addition to his hot dogs.
“Because of my eyesight, I couldn’t do a lot of jobs, but found this was something I could do,” Neelon said. “I just love meeting all the people and selling hot dogs.”
Neelon said he keeps his cart parked outside of Hattie’s Tap and Tavern, where he sells his hot dogs.
“I love it, it’s two small business owners coming together, and we get along really well,” said Jackie Deloach, the owner at Hattie’s. “He takes care of our staff, and we take care of him.”
But Wednesday morning when Neelon came to the parking lot to get set up, he was devastated to find his cart was gone. All that was left was Neelon’s benches that were tied to it.
A video caught by Hattie’s security cameras shows a person rolling the cart off the property and down The Plaza at around 4:30 a.m.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Friday there still haven’t been any arrests in the case.
SEE MORE: Man’s livelihood at stake after thieves steal food truck
“The look on his face when he found out that his cart was gone was just pure defeat,” Deloach said. “It was really heartbreaking, he always has a smile on his face, and to see anything else on it was really upsetting.”
That’s when Deloach and the rest of the community jumped in to raise money and help Neelon get a new cart.
“Nothing like that should ever happen to a guy like him,” Deloach said.
In just 24 hours, they passed their goal of $4,000.
Neelon will have a new cart up and running by next Tuesday.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve this, but you guys think I do, so I really appreciate what you do,” Neelon said.
He asked for one more community favor: “Stop up and buy a hot dog, I would love to meet you all.”
(WATCH: Developer proposes 150-foot tall apartment building near Plaza Midwood)
