A little more than a month after Benjamin’s closed, a local hot dog restaurant has opened in its place.
Courthouse Coneys held its grand opening Monday at 49 E. Court St., Franklin. The business sells hotdogs, chips and dill dip, nachos, potato salad and more.
The family-run-and-operated business started in 2017 as a hotdog cart under the name Hillbilly Hot Dogs. After about six months, the family bought a food truck, said Joshua Black, co-owner. Even with the new restaurant, Black plans to continue to still bring the food truck to events and catering jobs, he said.
Joshua and Heidi Black run the business with the help of their children Phoebe, Paxton and Corbin, who can be seen serving food to customers.
The building owner mentioned to Heidi Black that the location was available for lease. At the time, Joshua Black said having a storefront “wasn’t even on our radar.” The couple had window-shopped around to see how much commercial real estate would lease for, but most locations were way too expensive.
However, 49 E. Court St. was reasonable and they only had to commit to a one-year lease, so the couple took the leap.
“(Preparing for opening day was) a lot higher mountain than we had thought because it was a restaurant for however many, 30 to 35 years,” Joshua Black said. “So you’re planning on coming right in here, doing some cleaning, doing some decorating, throwing some tables in and some inventory and start selling. But that did not turn out to be the case, quite the opposite.”
Through the building’s change in ownership and change in business, plumbing had to be updated among other changes. Joshua Black said it “was a lot of work to get it to where it is.”
The couple came up with the name and concept of Courthouse Coneys together. Unlike Hillbilly Hotdogs with its hillbilly theme, Joshua said the aesthetic for Courthouse Coneys is a throwback to the 50s.
The most obvious difference between Courthouse Coneys and the Hillbilly Hot Dogs is the storefront’s simplified menu. There is no fryer at Courthouse Coneys, so owners decided to have a smaller menu with a focus on serving gourmet hot dogs and sides.
All of the menu items are themed around the court system and government, a play on being located near the courthouse and city hall. The menu includes options like the Judge, which is a Chicago-style hot dog, and the Plaintiff, a hot dog topped with chili and coleslaw.
What makes the business unique is that not many businesses — at least not in Central Indiana — specialize in hot dogs.
“There’s a niche for hot dogs … Nobody really gets into that but there’s so many hot dog lovers out there, you wouldn’t believe (how many people say), ‘I just love hotdogs, thank you.’ … There’s a lot of us out there,” he said.
He came up with the idea of a hot dog cart when he was probably 20 to 21 years old, he said. He is currently 41-years-old.
“Nobody was doing that in Franklin that I had ever seen. (I was) born and raised here, (I have) never seen a hot dog cart,” he said. “And I always thought that it would take off.”
The Blacks said the reception for Courthouse Coneys has been positive. In the first three days of opening week, they sold 729 hot dogs.
“It’s been a lot of work, but I think once we get into that routine of things, it’s gonna be great, and the response has been wonderful,” Heidi Black said.
Although Courthouse Coneys took the place of Benjamin’s occupied for 30 years, Joshua Black said a lot of people are happy to see them.
They’ve heard from some long-time Benjamin’s customers but are glad to see something new.
“It was such a tall order to get it all ready that I’m not sure that I’ve had (a favorite moment yet) … (but) seeing all the awesome responses I guess would by far be the best thing yet,” he said.
Courthouse Coneys is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, although hours may change.
