Hot dog stand is a hit -- but state isn't sold
An open-air hot dog stand that an unemployed North Reading man set up just off the Route 129 rotary earlier this summer has proven so popular the state Highway Department is moving to shut it down because it is causing traffic tie-ups.
Department spokeswoman Judith Forman said truckers who are parking their rigs askew on the side of Main Street while they grab a quick lunch at
''It's a rotary, not a restaurant," Forman said, adding that the location Fred Rex has chosen is part of the Highway Department's legal right-of-way. ''He is in a very dangerous location. It is a disaster waiting to happen."
Rex said he chose his location, which is at the north end of Lake Quannapowitt near the new Gertrude Spaulding Park and Colonel Connelly Beach, in part because of the adjacent beach parking lot.
''I don't agree that parking is a problem because there is a parking lot right behind me," said Rex, motioning to the town's beach parking spaces. ''I already checked with the Wakefield Police Department and I am confident that I am on a slice of town land."
Rex's tussle with the Highway Department is the latest chapter in his efforts to stay in his location.
Three weeks ago, Selectman Albert J. Turco asked town attorney Thomas Mullen to research Rex's right to maintain a temporary fast food stand at a fixed site.
''I am not pleased with the looks of Fred's setup," Turco said, explaining that he does not think a hot dog stand that boasts a pit barbecue, seven lawn chairs, and two umbrellas is in keeping with the natural beauty of the lake area. ''If he had a small, movable cart that would be one thing. That's what his peddler's permit calls for. But he has basically set up shop without the proper permits."
Wakefield has two other regular food vendors, Annie Lucey of Saugus, who sells slush, and Fred Johnson of Medford, who also sells hot dogs and sausages, both on the south side of the lake. Turco said he has less issue with them because their locations are not as busy, and even though both operate from fixed locations, they sell from carts on wheels.
Turco added he has the support of several members of Friends of Lake Quannapowitt, the group that has been working to clean up the area around the lake.
Group president Karen Faler said that while the Friends of Lake Quannapowitt has not taken a formal position on the hot dog operation, many do believe that a hot dog stand interrupts the scenic vista of the spot, which is the main entrance to Wakefield.
''My big problem is that the area is not zoned for restaurants, and Fred's is actually the fourth food service operation to worm their way into this location," Faler said. ''There are two doughnut shops on the opposite side of the street, which were allowed because they called themselves bakeries, and an Italian restaurant that was permitted as a caterer. We need to draw the line on commercial operations somewhere."
Mullen said those opposing Rex are technically correct that the state permit Rex holds is for transient operations. However, Mullen said he has advised selectmen that they cannot enforce the permit's mobility requirement unless they cite the other two town vendors at fixed locations on the other side of the lake.
Rex said he works hard to run a tidy operation and ''to provide the best hot dog you'll ever eat."
He said he hit upon running an open air hot dog stand after he was laid off after 17 years in the accounting department of a high-tech company in Wilmington.
Rex said he settled on the Route 129 rotary because it is a high-traffic area.
''I grill my dogs over apple wood and just the smell brings in customers," Rex said, who sells a regular dog for $2, a larger quarter-pounder for $3.75, and Portuguese linguica for $4.75. ''I'm working harder at this than I did in high tech."
He added that he even maintains a website, FredsFranks.com, so that he can notify customers if rain forces him to close.
Rex would not disclose how many dogs he sells in a day, but he makes a comfortable living.
Stephen Maio, chairman of the selectmen, said he would like Rex and the other two vendors to stay.
''I think a hot dog vendor contributes to Wakefield's small-town character," Maio said. ''It brings you back to yesteryear when you could walk the lake and get something cool to drink or something to eat and then be on your way."
Forman said the state Highway Department has a process for licensing vendors on land it controls, but because of the nature of Rex's business, he does not qualify for the permit. She added that department officials plan to approach Wakefield town officials on how to convince Rex that he needs to find another location.
''We have the choice of using the Wakefield police or the State Police but we want to work with the town on this," Forman said.
Caroline Louise Cole can be reached at cole@globe.com
