One Pasco County couple is using their sizzling love of hot dogs to spread a little happiness across the community.
Billy Dillinger and his wife Maria have spent the past five years running Ezee Dogs. It's a mobile hot dog cart hitched to the back of their car.
"I always say a hot dog a day keeps the blues away," Billy said. "It's that easy, and yeah, I love hot dogs."
Well, maybe not the doctor, but it'll keep the blues away. Billy said he's always been a hot dog lover. When he owned a farm in West Virginia, he would often hop on his motorcycle to go on what he called hot dog runs.
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They eventually sold the farm and moved down to the New Port Richey area, but his hot dog runs continued. And on one of those runs, the idea sparked to start selling some franks himself.
So, he did what any pro businessman does to be successful — he asked his wife.
"She knew immediately. She said, 'You want to sell hot dogs, don't you?' And I said, 'Yes, I do,' " he recalled. "I think I had hot dog eyes."
A few months later, Ezee Dogs was born. Now, they do a ton of catering events, but they've also established an almost makeshift brick-and-mortar spot right in the middle of the parking lot of the West Pasco Government Center.
"So there's a message to put out here of hope. So that's why Jesus and hot dogs is important to me. And I share the hot dogs as much as I do Jesus, but I couldn't do either without both."Billy Dillinger
They said it's a good way to get consistent customers and also give people a little happiness. They even pray for people who might be going through a tough time.
"Always say nobody wants to be here. What are you doing here? You're going to court, you're paying your taxes or you're going to go to the sheriff's department and find out about something, and we even have people that get their first and last dogs before they go to the holding cell of the jail," he said. "So there's a message to put out here of hope. So that's why Jesus and hot dogs is important to me. And I share the hot dogs as much as I do Jesus, but I couldn't do either without both."
Billy is the main businessman of the operation while his wife is the main cook. And these aren't just your standard on-the-grill hot dogs.
Each one gets put in Ezee Dogs' dirty dog water, which sounds weird when you hear it for the first time. But man, it's good.
"It's got seasonings in it, and it's got some garlic in there, and it's got some beef paste and different things that I put in to flavor up the water," Maria said.
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They have your classic hot dog, chili cheese dogs, a Michigan Coney dog, a New York Dog and a new addition: the Ezee Rican dog. It's a Puerto Rican-style dog that includes onions, relish, mayo and crunchy potato sticks over the top.
But it's a dangerous lifestyle being so close to all these delicious dogs. Just ask Billy. He said at one point, he was chowing down on at least two or three a day when his wife wasn't with him. He had to cut it back, and it's still about one a day of those glizzies.
"I always say a hot dog a day keeps the blues away."Billy Dillinger
Billy and Maria say they've found a lot of success at weddings, car shows and especially 55+ communities.
"An Ezee Dog is totally different than any dog that they've ever had. That's what most people say, like 'wow, I've eaten hot dog my whole life, and I've never had one like this,' " Maria said about customers. "If you like hot dogs, then you've got to come try an Ezee dog."
They've also made a point to keep it affordable. Since they've started in 2021, their prices have been exactly the same, despite the cost of nearly every ingredient going up. It's still $4 a dog, two for $7 or three for $10.
But Billy's favorite part about his job? The people, he said. Oh, and his wife, too.
"I adore my wife, and I hope I'm giving her all the props in the world, because I would not be here doing Ezee Dogs without her. That's just the bottom line, and I love doing it with her. She's the greatest, actually," Billy said.
If you want to try an Ezee Dog for yourself, you can head to the West Pasco Government Center. They're there most weekdays. You can also have them cater any event you want. You can also find the week-to-week schedule online.
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