A West Allis man who once made his living as a plumber is trading pipe wrenches for Chicago-style hot dogs, with plans to open Dirty Dogs at 4666 S. Packard Ave. in Cudahy by Dec. 1. Jim Turner said the idea took hold after a heart attack nearly killed him earlier this year, pushing him toward work that demanded less physical strain and offered a steadier schedule.
Turner told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that after the health scare, he wanted less physical work, more time cooking and a more predictable routine. He signed a five-year lease on the Packard Avenue space and has been renovating it from floor to ceiling, inside and out, while also purchasing all-new kitchen equipment for the build-out.
Turner’s health scare is personal, but heart disease is also a significant public-health issue across the state. Milwaukee’s 2025 community health assessment says heart disease is the leading cause of death in every Wisconsin region; it also reports that 6% of Milwaukee city adults have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease. The assessment’s figures provide broader context without indicating anything about Turner’s individual diagnosis or recovery.
A Menu Built Around the Hot Dog
The restaurant's signature item will be the Chicago-style hot dog, according to the Journal Sentinel's report, alongside a BLT hot dog and a dog topped with mac and cheese, pulled pork and coleslaw. The menu will also include Italian beef, chicken, smash burgers and a Friday fish fry featuring hand-breaded, beer-battered fish, the newspaper reported.
Dirty Dogs would enter a local market where Chicago-style dogs are already on a nearby menu: Cudahy Burger Joint, listed at 4905 S. Packard Ave., offers them alongside burgers and other casual fare. The restaurant’s menu listing shows some overlap with Dirty Dogs’ planned offerings, including hot dogs, chicken, fish and cheese curds. That gives customers in the area another option, even as Turner sees room for a dedicated hot dog shop.
Sides may include coleslaw, cheese curds and mac and cheese bites, per the same report, though Turner has not finalized every detail. He said he plans to keep things simple with a straight menu rather than a buffet, and noted the restaurant is working to obtain a liquor license to go along with a small selection of beers.
The planned beer selection depends on more than the restaurant’s menu: Wisconsin requires retail alcohol licenses to be issued by the municipality, with the local governing body deciding whether an applicant qualifies. The state says an application is published for public notice and cannot be approved until at least 15 days after it is filed. Cudahy’s liquor-license checklist also calls for items including proof of control of the premises and owners’ identification.
Loyalty Perks and Event Deliveries
Dirty Dogs is expected to seat about 40 people, with Turner describing the business as equally dine-in and takeout. A loyalty program will reward regulars with a free hot dog for every 10 purchased, and Turner said he will personally deliver larger orders directly to events rather than running a food truck, which he said is not currently in his plans.
He is not planning full catering with service staff either, the Journal Sentinel reported, keeping the focus on the counter-service model inside the Packard Avenue space. Turner said he does not want to compromise on the quality of ingredients, equipment or the overall customer experience as the restaurant gets off the ground.
A Shared Venture With a Personal Touch
Turner has no formal culinary training, though he said he previously helped out at a friend's restaurant for a time. His girlfriend of 12 years, Jennifer Cara, who spent a decade as kitchen manager at the former Bert's Bar & Grill in St. Francis, helped come up with the Dirty Dogs name and is backing the venture alongside him.
“This is our thing together,” Cara said, according to the Journal Sentinel's report describing the restaurant as a shared project between the couple. Turner is also producing shirts, stickers, magnets and other merchandise for the shop, whose logo was created with help from artificial intelligence — a choice Turner said drew some pushback.
Turner said he believes there is no similar restaurant in the immediate area and sees Dirty Dogs as a way to meet people nearby while putting real money into the neighborhood. He plans a soft opening for family and friends first, aiming to finalize the menu before the Dec. 1 public debut, and he has said he hopes to open a second location within the next couple of years if the Cudahy shop succeeds.
