The Rockstar Story behind Rock City Dogs, Now Open for Business 🤘🌭

After months of diligent planning and construction, Rock City Dogs is officially open for business and ready to share its unique menu and ambiance with rock and roll enthusiasts and hot dog lovers alike.

-Photo Credit: Anthony Gagliano, The Long Island Wave

Owners Stevie Reno, Stephen Bennett, Vina Vollmer and Tom McGiveron put their heads together to create this one-of-a-kind spot in the heart of downtown Bay Shore.

The story of Rock City Dogs began decades ago in a high school gym class, where Reno and Bennett first met and connected over a shared love for playing music. 

“I was a senior and [Bennett] was in 11th grade. We were in the same gym class and we kind of hit it off. I told him, ‘I’m a great guitar player,’ he said ‘That’s good, I’m a bass player, let’s start a band.’”

The two friends enlisted a drummer and got to work. They started out doing covers of songs from punk bands like the Ramones and The Clash. After a couple of years, they decided to start creating their own original music under their chosen band name, Design for Living.

“We went into the city, we started rehearsing, and in 1984 we produced our own album titled For A Moment which did fairly well, it was very heavily played on college radio stations,” Reno said. 

“Deep Purple” -Photo Credit: Anthony Gagliano, The Long Island Wave

With Reno on guitar and Bennett on bass and vocals, Design for Living continued gaining traction and eventually was opening for the very bands they started out covering, such as the Ramones and 10,000 Maniacs. They played in a plethora of venues across the tri-state area, everywhere from small local bars to notable spots with thousands in the audience like The Ritz, Studio 54, Spit, and many more.

“We came pretty close to ‘making it,’ as close as you can get. And you know, time goes by, you wake up, and you’re not 20 years old anymore,” Reno said. “But we never stopped playing and our love for music is probably stronger today than it was back then.”

-Photo Courtesy of Rock City Dogs

Eventually, Design for Living saw its final days of performing. Reno and Bennett went on to join a handful of other bands before eventually settling into other careers.

The idea for the longtime friends’ newest project, Rock City Dogs, came from an epiphany Reno had around two years ago, inspired by a gift from his wife, Vollmer. 

“Vina had bought me a big coffee table book of the greatest album covers of all time. You look at albums from the 70s and it's just artwork, they’re amazing,” Reno said. “That same day, there was a show on about the best hot dogs in the United States, I guess on the travel channel. I went outside and I got this really weird idea. I came back in and said ‘Vina, I’ve got a great idea, we’re going to open a restaurant.’” 

Though the idea for the restaurant came on a whim, this isn’t the first time Reno and Bennett had considered opening a restaurant of their own. 

“Zeppelin Dog” -Photo Credit: Anthony Gagliano, The Long Island Wave

“Many, many years ago, we toyed with the idea of opening up a restaurant. God knows what would have happened to us if we did back then. We never actually did it obviously, we kind of did our own careers,” Bennett said. 

Bennett had spent some time living in Massachusetts, and while there, looked into buying a restaurant in the area. It never panned out, but he ended up migrating back to Long Island anyway. From there, the two friends were able to finally bring their dream to life together.

After some deliberation, Reno settled on the name Rock City Dogs and enlisted Bennett, Vollmer, and his real estate agent McGiveron to take on the challenge with him as co-owners.

“Rock City Dog” -Photo Credit: Anthony Gagliano, The Long Island Wave

From there, Rock City Dogs began to blossom into what it is today, with features like a finely managed 70s rock playlist curated by Reno himself, and menu items named after notable 70s songs and artists. Personal touches can be found sprinkled among the restaurant’s decor, including the restaurant's logo which features a silhouette of Reno playing guitar when he was 18, and illustrations from the For A Moment album cover on the bathroom doors. 

The restaurant, of course, will focus heavily on their star menu item, their craft hot dogs. Named aptly after rockstars of the 70s and their work, each hot dog is kicked up a notch with unique toppings. 

“Deep Purple” -Photo Credit: Anthony Gagliano, The Long Island Wave

“We just want to be a destination. There’s nothing wrong with sushi places and taco places, but they’re on every corner. They’re great, but we’re trying to do something different, exciting and engaging,” Reno said. 

One option is the Deep Purple dog, which comes with red beet-pickled cabbage, dijonese, whipped goat cheese, and pink peppercorn. The Zeppelin dog serves up a beer battered dog with cream cheese, sage green salad, raspberry jam, and truffle honey. The restaurant’s namesake dog, the Rock City Dog, packs a punch with lobster, whipped horseradish, tomato, champagne mignonette, and caviar, served with a side of RCD star-shaped tots. 

-Photo Credit: Anthony Gagliano, The Long Island Wave

Although the dogs may be the star of the show, the new restaurant serves up more than just its hot dogs. Its menu features items like burgers, salads, wings, and mac and cheese as well. On top of their food menu, Rock City Dogs proudly boasts a collection of rock ‘n roll-themed cocktails and an assortment of beers on tap. The owners are excited to host a prime nightlife location at the restaurant with their full bar and lounge-like ambiance, with themed nights and events planned for the future.

Rock City Dogs also hosts Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will soon be implementing their Dog Dash takeout window, providing customers with a quick to-go option.

With the ongoing success of their first Rock City Dogs, the owners are optimistic about eventually expanding the restaurant to other spots. For now, you can visit Rock City Dogs at 3 East Main St. in Bay Shore. For hours and other information, visit their Facebook page and Instagram, and call (631) 876-2530.