'Such a love for a hot dog': More River View East fans reeling after beloved joint closed

When Mark Berman, a 62-year-old Hackensack resident, heard that stalwart hot dog joint River View East in Elmwood Park was closing, he was, he said, "devastated." It closed for good on March 12 (though technically it closed the day before; more on that later).

"I just sat in my car," said Berman. "I was very, very upset."

Nearly every day Berman, an unabashed hot dog fanatic, would stop in at River View to fill up on one of Jersey's greatest creations, a Texas weiner (no, not a misspelling but Jersey's quirky spelling), a heady deep-fried hot dog topped by slightly sweet chili sauce, even though, he had so many other possibilities.

"I work in Paterson, the center of hot dog heaven," Berman said.

(For those few Jersey residents not obsessed with hot dogs, a brief history: The word hot dog was birthed in 1892 in Paterson as was the Texas weiner; the chili sauce was brought over by Greek immigrants who used it for moussaka, For seemingly ever, in and around Paterson, hot dog spots like the Hot Grill, The New Corral, Goffle Grill and, until three years ago, Libby's Lunch drew food lovers from every corner of NJ — south, north and central.)

But Berman liked River View East best.

River View East closing is 'like a death in the family'

"This was my place," he said. "They had the perfect hot dog, the perfect sauce, the perfect look. Everything was perfect." He added, "It's like a death in the family. I'm in mourning."

Berman is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of North Jersey residents who are reeling from the news that one of the region's most beloved hot dog institution is no more.

The fast-food joint, housed in a wonderfully preserved, squat 1950s building with comfy booths and a simple counter, began life a few miles away in Fair Lawn (some still recall its original name, Falls View). The restaurant, which offered an all-American menu of classic burgers, subs, salads, sandwiches, chicken and more for more than a half century, was felled by a combination of rising labor costs, inflation and rent, according to Tom Decicco, the restaurant's owner since 1989.

“It’s a death by a thousand cuts,” Decicco told The Record. “I held it as long as I could."

River View East: 'you go for the hot dogs'

The death hit Jeff Ananson, a Bergenfield resident, hard.

"My heart sank," said Ananson. "'No way,' I thought. 'This is a landmark. How can the owners let it close?' I was so upset. It seemed like one of those places that would always be there."

Ananson loves hot dogs. He is a member of Hot Dog Nation, a New Jersey Facebook group whose members are wild about frankfurters; he goes on hot dog food crawls; he reads up on the product; he has vowed to never leave Jersey because "if I go anywhere else, I won't be able to get a ripper or a Texas weiner." (A ripper, for the uninitiated, is Clifton's Rutt's Hut dog; so called because the process of frying causes the hot dog casing to rip apart.)

And the hot dogs at River View were always a favorite of Ananson's.

"Its dog is good, old-fashion, North Jersey style," he said. "I've been going there for years" — often devouring two dogs with a side of fries with gravy. "It was a place that had lots of things — breakfast, burgers. But you go for the hot dogs."

On Sunday at River View East, 'there was nothing left'

Ananson went for one last bite on closing day. He was hardly alone. When he arrived, he found a packed parking lot, people milling about and the restaurant's doors closed.

It turned out so many fans flocked to the joint that it had run out of food — the day before its official closing day. "There was nothing left on Sunday," Ananson said. "People just stood around sharing their nostalgic stories."

Daniel Huppert of Elmwood Park has lots of River View nostalgic stories.

"When I think of River View East, I think of my high school years," he said. "That was my lunch break. My friends and I ate there every single day."

He was introduced to the joint much earlier, however.

"My family took me there since I was a baby," he said. "It’s been a staple in my life, in my family’s life. We would order there at least once a week. River View was in fact one of the first places to offer delivery. It was good food, affordable food."

Huppert said his mom was friends with the prior owner. On March 11, the day before the official closing, he and his wife stopped off at River View, hoping to get a few Texas weiners to take over to his mom's house. By the time they arrived, Huppert said, Decicco announced that they were out of chili sauce. They made do with roast beef sandwiches.

"Yes, I loved the food but it was the ambiance of the location, its throwback, retro nature that I really loved," he said. "It felt like a time machine, like setting foot onto the set of 'American Graffiti'."

Alan Cotrell of Cliffside Park has fond memories too.

"My father used to take me to River View," he said. "It was a treat on weekends."

New Jersey's premier hot dog guru John Fox, who guided me on a hot dog food crawl, is a fan too.

"It served solid, authentic North Jersey Texas weiner," said Fox, who has been featured in or consulted on articles, books and a slew of television programs about hot dogs and has co-founded the Annual New Jersey Hot Dog Tour. "It’s too bad it closed."

He needn't tell that to Berman of Hackensack. "I am really wondering where the heck I’m going to go now." Adding: "It’s a little crazy that there is such a love for a hot dog."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: River View East in Elmwood Park closed: Fans are reeling