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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — One of Putnam’s cuisine fixtures is getting a new lease on life. Nikki’s Dog House has passed from Dave Johnson to his sister, Nichola “Nikki” Watt-Johnson.
The business celebrated its 41st year April 1. Nikki Johnson said and she’s going to be “bringing it into 2021”
The dog house will close on April 5 and reopen on May 5, revitalized. Nikki said she’ll “renovate, revitalize and rebrand” the business. The restaurant will be painted. She promises that some of the trains will still be a part of the restaurant. She said she plans to condense the menu, keeping the popular burger, fries and hot dogs and, of course, the Coney dogs. She said she’ll add new items and also plans to add a “build your own” ice cream area. There will be a presence on Facebook, Instagram and a website. And the dog house will now take credit cards.
Nikki is the owner of the Complex Performing and Creative Arts Centre — right across the street. Some of her Complex employees will probably also work at Nikki’s Dog House. “It’s good, right across the street,” she said, and then joked, “We’ll be taking over the corner.” The transfer and plans went quickly. It was only two weeks ago, she said, that she and her brother Dave had a conversation about the business transferring to Nikki. Dave wanted to retire and it made sense to keep it in the family. The business was started by their father. Its first home was below the former Laurion Cleaners. Then it moved to where 85 Main is now. Then it moved to where Jessica’s is now. Many years ago it moved to its current home on Canal/Main streets. Dave said he plans to still be around, helping out. Nikki said: “We’re basically giving it a new life.”
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