Moses Lake man turns work into fun with hot dog stand

MOSES LAKE - When Lew Egts left his job of nearly 30 years, he only wanted to do one thing - have fun. And for the past two weeks, he's been doing just that. Egts spends his days in the parking lot near Inland Cellular, serving hot dogs and hanging out with customers (both of his business and his neighboring vendor, who sells fresh produce).

MOSES LAKE - When Lew Egts left his job of nearly 30 years, he only wanted to do one thing - have fun. And for the past two weeks, he's been doing just that. Egts spends his days in the parking lot near Inland Cellular, serving hot dogs and hanging out with customers (both of his business and his neighboring vendor, who sells fresh produce).

"It's been great, I'm having a ball," he said.

Before opening his hot dog stand, Patriot Dog, Egts spent the last three decades working for Genie. He worked out of the company's Redmond location until 2005, when he moved to Moses Lake.

"Genie was a great job, but it was time for something different," he said. "I wanted to go out and have fun."

Egts figured the best way to do that would be to open his own business. He decided he would open a hot dog stand, and got everything together in time to start business earlier this month.

Patriot Dog features Nathan's hot dogs, 1/6 and 1/4 pound varieties, and Johnsonville 1/4-pound brats. Customers can order them individually or in a meal, which comes with chips and a drink.

Then come the toppings. Egts keeps his cart stocked with the basics - ketchup, mustard, relish, pickles, cheddar cheese and sauerkraut. He also has a bottle of Sriracha sauce on hand, which he said is a no-brainer.

"I put it on everything," Egts said. He said he figured some of his customers might share that same mentality.

While Egts has been spending his days having fun and making money, he's also been raising awareness and funds for a special cause. Egts donates 50 percent of any tips he makes to the Wounded Warrior Project - an organization he's supported over the years.

"My best friend was a Marine, and so was his son Sam," he said. Sam was wounded during combat, and while he is doing fine now, Egts said the Wounded Warrior Project did a lot for him.

The organization was founded in 2003 and aims to honor and empower Wounded Warriors who incurred a physical or mental injury, illnesses, or wound during combat.

Egts said he would donate to the Wounded Warrior Project, but always wanted to do more.

"I'm a patriotic guy, so I thought what more can I do," he said. By donating half of his tips, Egts said he has been able to donate a lot more to the group. Last week, Egts was able to collect about $70 for the Wounded Warrior Project.

"When people hear that half is going to the Wounded Warrior Project, it's just amazing," he said. "This is a great community, the people here really care about those guys."

Starting next week, Patriot Dog will be open Tuesday through Saturday. Egts said he is usually ready to start serving hot dogs by 10:30 a.m. and stays open until about 4 p.m.