Even if Columbus isn't a Midwest hot-dog city like Toledo, Detroit and Chicago, there are plenty of opportunities to buy a hot link in central Ohio.

Junkyard Dogs is the latest restaurant that serves a better dog, one constructed with premium ingredients and layers of flavor.

Jerry Elliot, a radio host from WLVQ (96.3 FM), and Ed Bisconti, owner of three Borgata Pizza Cafés, have combined forces at the restaurant, 2245 W. Dublin-Granville Road, in the Linworth Crossing shopping center.

Elliot has had the idea since 1990, when he came to Columbus to work for QFM 96 after a comedy stand-up jag in Chicago.

"Columbus, I knew, was loaded with pizza and wing joints but when I got here nobody was doing hot dogs," he said.

Bisconti, meanwhile, had the same ambition.

Their ideas came together one evening in 2017, when Elliot and his wife, Melissa Marsh, the former meteorologist for Channel 10 (WBNS-TV), were dining at the Linworth Borgata.

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That led to countless hours researching brands from across America before settling on natural-casing beef dogs from Five Star Brand Meats in Cleveland, Dearborn Brand 1904 stadium pork dogs from Michigan, and bratwurst and Italian sausage from Holiday Sausage Co. in Cleveland.

All are grilled on a flattop stove that creates a nice char and tightens up the casing, which snaps with each bite.

"There's nothing like it, I think," Bisconti said.

Bisconti, who trained at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, began the rigorous chore of making creative toppings that would give Junkyard Dogs an identity.

"We wanted to be different than the other places," he said.

The Coney sauce came from a 100-year-old recipe from Bisconti's grandmother, Angelina Alterio.

It is used in the signature option, additionally topped with cheesy onions, bacon, jalapenos, coleslaw, garlic aioli and spicy brown mustard.

Other preassembled choices include a Chicago-style dog with all the fixings, and the Elvis, with bacon, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese and sliced scallions.

All dogs are $7. Substitute a wagyu dog for an additional $4 or a vegan dog for $1 extra.

Junkyard Dogs also offers a build-your-own section, plus fries, hub caps (round fried potatoes) and shakes, made with ice cream from Dell's Ice Cream & Coffee in Shawnee Hills.

Junkyard Dogs is the latest of several hot-dog-centric spots to open since Dirty Franks Hot Dog Palace ushered in the era of gourmet dogs in 2009..

More recently, other notable tube-steak eateries have opened, such as Myungrang Hotdogs, offering a South Korean-style dog in the Short North; Tasty Dawg, Downtown; Hot Dog Wally's near Ohio State University campus; Weenie Wonder in Dublin's Bridge Park; and Dad's Coneys & Wraps in the Graceland Shopping Center.

The fortunes of hot dogs have risen and fallen faster than temperatures on a spring day in the Capital City. Gone are the days of Wholly Joe's Chicago Eatery, Rippers Roadstand and Buns & Brews.

Still, Columbus enjoys many hot-dog mainstays, such as Village Coney in the German Village area, and Loops, on the Northwest Side.

Randy Sokol, owner of Sokol & Associates, which buys and sells restaurant properties, said hot dog eateries have a difficult time for many reasons.

The successful ones, Sokol said, tend to have a broader menu, along with alcohol and a location with high-pedestrian traffic.

Too often, owners take over a restaurant space that's too large and hot dogs are seen as more of a hand-held street food.

"People aren't going to drive across town for a hot dog," Sokol said.

Junkyard Dog's hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and closed Sundays. For more information, call 614-987-5023.

onrestaurants@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Radio host, pizzeria owner team up at Junkyard Dogs