Chi-Town Dogs, a Riverside Drive staple in Clarksville for decades, is firing the grills back up after sitting dark for nearly five years. Owner Dan Johnson and longtime friend Elizabeth Self have been busy repairing and refitting the tiny walk-up and drive-through, and they say they hope to be serving customers again by the end of June. Once the windows reopen, the plan is a lunch-only schedule, Wednesday through Saturday.
Founders and the 2021 closure
Donna Johnson, who co-founded Chi-Town Dogs with her husband, Daniel, died in November 2021, and the restaurant closed soon after, according to McReynolds-Nave & Larson Funeral Home. The obituary notes that the couple had worked side by side at the shop since the 1990s and were fixtures in Clarksville's small-business community.
Neighbors helped bring it back
Dan Johnson told NewsChannel 5 that after Donna's death he put the building up for sale and stepped away. That might have been the end of the story, but neighbor and longtime friend Elizabeth Self saw comments from customers who missed the shop and urged Johnson to bring it back.
Since then, Johnson, Self, and Self's son Chris have been installing new lights, adding refrigerators, and rearranging the compact space in preparation for reopening. They also plan to bring back Chi-Town's familiar banner and menu. "Donna and I were partners in everything," Johnson told the station, explaining why getting the place ready again has been such a personal project.
Location and classic Chicago dogs
The small drive-through sits at 1057 S. Riverside Drive, according to a restaurant listing on Allmenus. Chi-Town Dogs has long been known for Vienna-style pure-beef Chicago dogs, Italian beef and Polish sausage.
A 2014 profile in ClarksvilleNow reports that the business grew largely by word of mouth and became a destination spot despite its tucked-away Riverside Drive location. That history, along with the classic menu, has kept interest alive even while the building sat closed.
When they'll open
Johnson and Self have not set an official reopening date, but they told NewsChannel 5 they are aiming for the end of June and expect to open for lunch Wednesday through Saturday. They plan to announce a grand-opening date once inspections are finished and the kitchen is fully stocked.
Regulars say Chi-Town's authentic Chicago-style hot dogs are the reason the space has stayed on people's radar, and review aggregators show a long run of positive comments about the food and service. Review site Birdeye lists hundreds of favorable reviews, highlighting just how much appetite there is for the shop's return. For now, Johnson and Self say they will share a firm reopening date once the work is complete.
