For 31 seasons, Joyl Watkins has made the corner of 19th Street and Wynkoop Street a regular stop for Rockies fans seeking a hot dog before or during a game. Now the Diamond Dawgs owner is preparing to close the cart after the 2026 season.
Watkins plans to serve his final hot dog when the Colorado Rockies finish their 2026 home schedule against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 24, according to CBS Colorado. Westword reported that he has operated at the same location since Coors Field opened in 1995.
Watkins initially expected the venture to last only a year. He operated Diamond Dawgs as a side business for six seasons while holding another job, according to Westword, before making vending his full-time work.
A Body That's Giving Out After Three Decades of Game Days
Watkins told CBS Colorado that years of long game days have taken a physical toll and that he wants more time for family and friends. A typical game day lasts about 12 hours, the station reported, and Watkins has missed only four games in more than three decades at the corner.
How the neighborhood changed
The setting around Watkins' cart was already changing before the Rockies played their first game at Coors Field. According to the Denver Public Library Special Collections and Archives, Denver City Council created the Lower Downtown Historic District through a zoning ordinance in March 1988. By the time Coors Field opened in 1995, the library says Lower Downtown had become a revitalized district filled with clubs, restaurants, art galleries, boutiques, bars and other businesses. Watkins' long-running cart therefore developed alongside a commercial neighborhood that had already been reshaped before the ballpark became its defining gathering point.
The cart's output has made it a substantial game-day operation. Diamond Dawgs typically sells about 800 hot dogs on opening day, while Watkins buys roughly 600 pounds of hot dogs a week during the regular season and often sells out by the fifth inning, according to the reports. Denver police Officer Joey G. told Westword that Diamond Dawgs serves “the best hot dog in the city.”
More Than a Meal for Longtime Regulars
The stand's appeal has extended beyond the food. Some customers have been visiting since childhood, and Watkins told CBS Colorado that the relationships with customers were a major reason he continued returning each season.
Customer Reed Haddock told Watkins he would be missed, while Watkins said the people around the corner were what he would miss most. He also watched the Rockies' run to the 2007 World Series from the location and later recalled that period as a blast.
City Recognition and a Legacy That Outgrew a Cart
Denver formally recognized Watkins in 2014 by proclaiming July 11 Joyl Watkins Day, Westword reported. The business has also faced changing conditions: Watkins told the Gazette that sales were down about 30 percent in 2024, citing team performance and weather, while he said elsewhere that sales had increased every year since 2020. The Rockies told the Gazette that the stadium sells a combined average of 532,500 hot dogs and brats across five stadium options each season.
Costs have risen as well. Westword reported that Watkins' game-day vending permit cost $550 last year, compared with $340 in 2020. CBS Colorado reported that Watkins plans to remain connected to the Rockies after retiring.
After the Sept. 24 game, Watkins expects to put the Diamond Dawgs cart up for sale, according to Westword. He plans to travel during the winter and volunteer when he returns, ending a business that began as a one-year experiment and became a fixture outside Coors Field.
