Grayslake Dog n Suds Drive-In

🚧 Important work beginning this morning 🚧 Please keep clear of the area and give the workers space to work. 👷👷‍♀️

Please steer clear of the drive-in and parking lot beginning Monday, September 23rd through the following week. Contractors will begin asbestos abatement and lead-based paint mitigation. Utilize the sidewalks and avoid cutting through the parking lot. Thank you!

Day 2 of 3 at Pleasant Prairie Harvest Fest 🌽. Find us on the shore of the Lake Andrea Craft Beer Garden!

The Grayslake Dog n Suds Food Truck is making its first appearance in Wisconsin at the Pleasant Prairie Harvest Fest. 🌽 We'll be in Wisconsin all weekend long. Find us at the Lake Andrea Craft Beer Garden!

Stop out and see the truck tonight at Woodview School!

📚 Come visit the truck at Woodview School this Wednesday! Open to the public.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Grayslake Dog n Suds Food Truck at the Cruisin on Center Grayslake Car Show yesterday! Our team got to enjoy some pancakes at the Exchange Club of Grayslake pancake breakfast before getting to work. Because of your support, we will be donating $325 to the Grayslake Rotary Foundation. These funds will be used by the Rotary Club of Grayslake and Grayslake and Hainesville FOP 299 for things such as college scholarships, local food pantries, Shop with a Cop and more.

GrayslakeDognSuds.com 🌭🍔🍟🥤🍦

Hey Wisconsin followers, you'll be able to catch our food truck in Pleasant Prairie, WI at the Lake Andrea Craft Beer Garden the weekend of September 20-22nd. Pleasant Prairie

Send a message to learn more

We're proud of one of our own who received a scholarship and is off to college! ❤️ See you when you return!

See below for details!

The Rotary Club of Grayslake and Grayslake and Hainesville FOP 299 are hosting the 3rd Annual Cruisin’ on Center Grayslake Car Show on Saturday, September 7th. The event will feature 200+ cars, live music, food trucks, Exchange Club of Grayslake Pancake Breakfast (7:30 am - 12 pm) at Fire Station 1 on Hawley Street, the Batmobile, fire trucks, and raffles! The event is a 501c3 fundraiser for college scholarships, local food pantries, Shop with a Cop, worldwide Polio prevention, and more.

Stop by and see us at the car show, where we'll be continuing our tradition of donating a portion of sales back to the event, as well as offering the ability to round up your order to the next 💲 as a donation. Hope to see you there! 😎

We'll be making our first appearance across state lines September 20-22nd at the Pleasant Prairie Harbor Fest held at the Lake Andrea Craft Beer Garden.

https://www.visitpleasantprairie.com/things-to-do/signature-experiences/harvest-fest/
Visit Pleasant Prairie | Lake Andrea Craft Beer Garden | Pleasant Prairie HarborMarket

See you September 6th at Grayslake Middle School! 📚

GrayslakeDognSuds.com 🌭🍔🍟🥤🍦

Save the date for Friday, September 6th! Frederick - Grayslake Middle School PTO is hosting their annual Fall Fest from 4:30 pm – 7 pm at Grayslake Middle School! 🍁

This event is open to all! It will feature food trucks including our community favorite – Grayslake Dog n Suds Drive-In, along with two other delicious dinner options – Mario’s Cart and Your Sister’s Tomato, as well as dessert trucks – Hello Boba, Kiki’s Cotton Candy, and Nothing Bundt Cake. There will also be live music from Doppler Audio and games to enjoy!

🍁Bring your family and enjoy a night of food, games, music and community!🍁

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🗣 We have a small break in our hectic schedule to dive into some questions and answers.

Q – How did the fire occur?
A – The fire began in our prep area during the overnight hours while we were closed, when no team members were present. The cause of the fire was not kitchen equipment related. Our kitchen equipment and hood system were regularly cleaned and maintained by our team and service professionals.

Q – What was the cause of the fire?
A – The insurance fire inspector has not released their final findings at this time. What we know is the fire has been ruled accidental and was not caused by negligence.

Q – Is insurance covering the damage caused by the fire?
A – Yes, to an extent. Our policy is divided up into various coverages, ranging from equipment, inventory, building repair costs, and code upgrades. Many, if not all, of these categories will be maxed out by the time the rebuild process is complete. This is due in part of the age of the building and equipment, some of it dating back as far as 60 years.

Q – Why was a fire fund created?
A – We were not seeking handouts; however, it was brought to our attention a nefarious character may have set up a fraudulent GoFundMe on “behalf of us”. To circumvent people donating to a fraudulent character, we created the fund due to requests to create our own.

Q – What are the donations and fundraising campaigns being used for?
A – All donations and fundraising funds are being deposited into a bank account separate from our general funds. These funds will only be accessed after insurance coverage funds are exhausted in order to make the drive-in whole again. Any unused funds will be distributed back into the local Grayslake community through sponsorships or donations as seen fit.

Q – Why is the rebuild taking so long?
A – Prior to beginning interior demolition, our team and vendor had to take inventory of every piece of equipment, food and drink product, stock and other inventory. A specialized vendor was brought in to evaluate our equipment for fire, heat, smoke, and water damage. All our equipment and inventory were deemed a total loss, as it sustained some form of damage or contamination. The insurance adjuster had to review the information prior to allowing the demolition to begin.

During the interior demolition process, it was discovered the flooring material contained asbestos and various paint samples tested positive for lead based paint. Specialized vendors were brought in to evaluate the safe abatement and mediation of such. This process requires permits and EPA approval.

Several code upgrades will be needed to make the 60-year-old facility compliant with today’s codes. All electric wiring and plumbing need to be replaced, as well as the kitchen hood system. The Illinois EPA informed us the water connection from our building to the main village water line needs to be replaced. The electric connection from the ComEd transformer to the building needs to be upgraded to support the replacement equipment.

Q – When will the drive-in reopen?
A – Unfortunately, we don’t have an answer nor an estimate due to the number of code upgrades needed. There are also challenges with the design and age of the 60-year-old building. We are experiencing a delay in acquiring replacement equipment. Some of our key equipment may take up to 6-8 weeks to obtain, with two pieces of equipment being quoted with a lead time of up to 5 months.

Q – How are the food trucks being utilized?
A – “Big Red” was purchased used last year with revenue generated from operation of the food trailer over the past four years. The truck currently lacks some necessary equipment to operate. The intention was to begin equipping it in May of this year, after the drive-in had been open a few months.

“Mellow Yellow” is a former Salvation Army canteen truck from Nashville, TN, which was converted into a Dog n Suds food truck in Indiana. The ownership team leveraged personal assets to acquire this truck, as the truck was already equipped and ready to be put into operation. Revenue generated by this truck is being used to equip “Big Red” and get it on the road.

The plan is to utilize these trucks to get our team back to work and get the drive-in back up and running. We intend on operating the trucks past the normal drive-in season. As much as we’d like to fulfill everyone’s request to book the trucks, some are not viable due to high operational costs.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through the demolition and rebuild process. ❤️ The team greatly appreciates your support at the various events and functions the trucks operate at. Physical and digital Grayslake Dog n Suds gift cards can be used at both Grayslake Dog n Suds Food Trucks, and the Drive-In upon reopening.

See you Saturday at the corner of Whitney and Center Street! We'll be launching our Mac & Cheese Bites as well! 🤤

🍔 Texas Burgers | Charco Cheeseburgers | Charco Burgers
🌭 Coney Dogs | Coney Cheese Dogs | Cheese Dogs | Hot Dogs
🍟 Coney Cheese Fries | Cheese Fries | Fries
🧀 Mac & Cheese Bites

GrayslakeDognSuds.com 🌭🍔🍟🥤🍦

Great Wolf Lodge Team Members showed up in full force today! We served 541 hot dogs, not including the one our boss ate, for National Hot Dog Day! 😎🌭 Thanks again for having us back! ❤️

Catch us at Black Lung Brewing Company in Round Lake Beach on Friday, July 12th from 4pm - 8pm. 🍻

Grab a set of these super cute fundraising candles from Romney Brown Candle Company! 🥤🕯 Available in Root Beer, Green River, and Cola. 😎 Located downtown Grayslake on Center St.

Get your fix of floats at Romney Brown Candle Company downtown Grayslake. Featuring Root Beer, Green River and Cola Float candles! 🥤🕯😎

📣 Announcing Our July Candles of the Month: Fundraiser for Dog'n'Suds! 📣

We’re thrilled to support Grayslake Dog n Suds Drive-In , a beloved local drive-in that recently suffered a devastating fire. To help them get back on their feet, we’re launching three special Ice Cream Float candles:

🍈 Green River (Lime) 🥤 Cola 🍺 Root Beer

Each candle is crafted to look and smell just like a real ice cream float, complete with vanilla ice cream-shaped and scented wax on top!

✨ Price: $30 each
✨ 100% of the sales will go directly to Dog'n'Suds
✨ Fundraising Goal: $500

These candles are not only a delightful treat for your senses but also a wonderful way to support a cherished community business. Let’s come together and make a difference! We are open starting on Wednesdays each week and these will be available in-store for purchase!

Make sure to check out our new store hours starting today, July 1st! Any appointments that were made prior to the hours change are still on! If you need an appointment after hours, please call or email us in advance!

Stay tuned for a fun collaboration in the works! 😎

🌟 Coming Soon: Our July Candle of the Month! 🌟

We’re excited to launch a special fundraising candle for a beloved local business! 100% of the money from our Candle of the Month sales will go towards helping them get back on their feet. Stay tuned for the big reveal tomorrow! Any guesses on who it could be?

Hint: the picture is likely going to give it away!

See you at the truck on Saturday!

🍔 Texas Burgers | Cheeseburgers | Burgers
🌭 Coney Dogs | Cheese Dogs | Hot Dogs
🍟 Coney Cheese Fries | Cheese Fries | Fries
🥤 Root Beer Floats | Root Beer

Central Park is almost ready for the Taste of Grayslake Family Picnic and Fireworks! Park officially opens Saturday, 6/29 at 3pm-see you then!

Our gift cards are back in stock and will be available for purchase on the food trucks. The best part is you'll be able to use your gift cards and digital gift cards at any of the Grayslake locations, ranging from the drive-in to the food trucks.

We'll be out at Andy’s Records - Grayslake, IL this afternoon for their Grand Reopening!

Hey ! Here's our chance to help little Emmy in her time of need. Visit the Discovering Grayslake Podcast page for more information on this fundraiser on June 27th at First Draft Grayslake.

Stop out and support the Light the Lamp Brewery team during their final weeks. Take care of their staff, as this is hard on everyone involved.

❤️

The Grayslake Craft Beer Festival was a great first event for the food truck. Thanks to everyone who stopped out to support us and the mission of the fest! Dave Woll of the Discovering Grayslake Podcast captured this cool drone shot of the truck in action. Subscribe to the podcast to hear stories about Grayslake.

Our next public event will be at the Grayslake AuthorFest on Saturday, June 22nd from 11am to 4pm at the Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum.

🍔 Texas Burgers | Charco Cheeseburgers | Charco Burgers
🌭 Coney Dogs | Coney Cheese Dogs | Cheese Dogs | Hot Dogs
🍟 Coney Cheese Fries | Cheese Fries | Fries

😎 Soft opening at the Grayslake Craft Beer Festival on Saturday! 🍔🌭🍟

Join us for our soft opening at the Grayslake Craft Beer Festival.
🍔 Texas Burgers | Charco Cheeseburgers | Charco Burgers
🌭 Coney Dogs | Coney Cheese Dogs | Cheese Dogs | Hot Dogs
🍟 Coney Cheese Fries | Cheese Fries | Fries