Daddy's Dogs: From Side Hustle to Sensation

 “Big Daddy” Sean Porter and Andrew St. Marie of Daddy’s Dogs are admittedly “professional eaters.” As Sean (past road manager for Elle King, Cage the Elephant, American Idol winner Kris Allen, Matt Nathanson, and more) shared, “When you’re on tour, one of the biggest outlets you have is trying new cuisine.” When often there is only enough time to get out and get lunch before sound check, Sean and Andrew found themselves constantly looking for the best cuisine in each city.

    While Sean and Andrew both grew up in Seattle and were friends in high school, it was not until Kris Allen broke his arm in a car accident, leaving the band in need of a keyboard player, that the two were brought back together. Sean, managing for Kris at the time, called up Andrew, who immediately jumped in for the 2 month remainder of the tour. 

    The idea for Daddy’s Dogs came about when a broken leg took Sean off the road for a while. Looking for a good side hustle, Sean was sitting in a bar with a buddy, who suggested, “Big Daddy, you should look into hot dogs.” It turns out Daddy’s Dogs has a pretty nice ring to it. Andrew shared, “We were both kind of looking for something to do when we’re not on the road.” Nashville, at the time, did not have the hot dog scene of their hometown. So they brought that taste here and opened up Daddy’s Dogs as a hot dog cart in July of 2015. Since then, the business has grown to 3 carts (in Midtown, Downtown, and Demonbreun) and a new permanent location in the Nations. 

    So where does the name come from? As a road manager, Sean explained, “I was always a father figure on the tour. I would always joke around and call people ‘big daddy’ and it just kind of flopped and everyone started calling me ‘Big Daddy.’” 

    Some good music, a sense of adventure, a couple broken bones, and a worldwide name later, these hot dogs topped with everything from bacon to peaches and cream cheese are earning Daddy’s Dogs a big reputation. Catch one of their carts on weekend late nights or visit them at the their permanent location seven days a week (a converted vintage gas station, right under the mural of Lee Estes in the heart of the Nations)! Grab a Miller High Life and a “golly good dog” or join them for their Brass Monkey Brunches (coming soon, exclusively to the Nations location)!