Pooch’s Restaurant, located at 301 S Main Street in Lillington, opened just a couple of months ago and already has regular customers that can’t get enough of the business’s delectable hotdogs and smash burgers.

Owner Steven Chiarello explained that he’s been in the restaurant business for 42 years and has opened several restaurants for different companies in the past, but this is his first time opening his own restaurant. 

“My son has a hot dog truck. It was very difficult being outside all the time, so we parked that and decided to bring his concept and add the smash burgers–which is stuff that we’ve been researching for quite a long time, proper ways to do it, the best way to make it, so on and so forth–and put them together, and that’s how we got our menu,” explained Chiarello. 

Chiarello shared that his wife is a graphic design artist so she designed the logos and signage for the business. They purchased the building from a previous owner and only had to make a few changes before they were ready to operate. 

Chiarello explained that the response from the community since their initial soft opening in April has been “fantastic.” 

A few menu items that keep customers coming back for more include their River Dog, named after the Cape Fear River, which is a hotdog loaded with chili, coleslaw, onions and mustard, their original smash burger which features sweet pickles and burger sauce made in house on a potato bun and another item growing in popularity is the macaroni salad. 

The Lillington Area Chamber of Commerce has arranged a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new restaurant scheduled for July 17. Community members are invited to come out and support the business.

Pooch’s Restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Food is prepared fresh everyday.