For the Dawgs

Sean Guntle has always had a knack for cooking.

At 2 years old, his mother had him cooking eggs on the stove.

At 15, he started smoking meats and cheeses as a hobby.

Now he’s taken the next step in his culinary journey.

Big Sean’s Dawgs opened in mid August at 124 N. Commerce St., Portland, the former home of Yergy’s BBQ.

“I’ve always wanted to open up my own place,” said Guntle. “I’ve always done cooking — that’s one of the first things I was ever taught how to do. (It) helps me stay calm, and well … there’s really no other reason to my madness. I just enjoy it.”

Guntle began smoking meats and cheeses as a teenager, spending his weekends split between the hobby and playing on Jay County High School football team. 

A 2022 Jay County High School graduate, Guntle started with a hot dog cart about eight months prior to serving up dogs from his new spot at the intersection of Commerce and Walnut streets. The first day he planned on opening his food cart for business, though, a thunderstorm doused those plans.

After learning from Jay County Health Department about the need to use a commissary — a registered establishment in which food and supplies are kept, handled, prepared, packaged or stored — Guntle turned his eyes from a cart to a building. He reached out to property owners Steve and Janna Snyder and soon enough he was prepping for his first opening as a restaurant.

Big Sean’s Dawgs offers a few different takes on the all-American meal. Customers have a few different hot “dawgs” to choose from on the menu, including a classic all-beef (Fisher Meats) hot dog, one with coney sauce or one topped with bacon and cheddar. 

The establishment also offers nachos with cheese, coney sauce and cheese or pulled pork, barbecue sauce and cheese.

Guntle noted his menu will change and grow as time goes on. Last month, he added another item. The “Oinker” features smoked pulled pork served on a hot dog bun, with the option to add jalapeño slices, cheese and barbecue sauce.

He shared dreams to offer regional-themed hot dogs, such as an “Idaho Dawg” with baked potato-style toppings, in the future.

A key feature of Guntle’s craft lies within the coney sauce, a savory tomato and meat sauce original recipe that differs from the traditional sweet sauce.

“(He’s) been perfecting that recipe for a long time,” noted his mother, Kari Pearce, who helps Guntle in the kitchen along with a few other family members and friends.

As someone living with celiac disease, Guntle wanted to make sure his restaurant offered gluten-free options for others with the same condition. He serves “Dawg Bowls,” hot dogs without a bun in a dish with a choice of toppings.

Hours and days of operation for Big Sean’s Dawgs vary. (A full-time employee for Delaware County Correctional Division, Guntle runs his business on a part-time basis.) It is typically open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, with the same hours sometimes offered on Tuesdays and additional hours occasionally through the week. To check in on the business’ open days each week, visit the BS Dawgs Facebook page.

Big Sean’s Dawgs’ soft opening in August turned into more than Guntle expected. The establishment sold out of food in 2 hours and 15 minutes, going through 15 pounds of meat.

Guntle has been thankful for the support from the community, pointing to different times when the business had sold out of food before closing for the day. He’s also excited to be doing what he loves.

“I’m doing this purely because I enjoy it,” he said.