BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The building that formerly contained Pete's Hot Dog Shop has been sold to a developer with ties to the Lehigh Valley.
Yongkang Gao, a Lehigh University graduate, bought the building at 400 Broadway, as well the adjacent three-story building that houses two residential units.
He is taking over with business partner Bill Geddes, a contractor and chef with experience in the restaurant industry.
- Pete's Hot Dog Shop has been sold to a developer with strong ties to the Lehigh Valley
- Yongkang Gao is an electrical engineer by trade, and currently works for Apple in California
- He was a graduate student at Lehigh University, where he ate at Pete's a few times
Gao says he plans to turn Pete's into a restaurant, but did not specify in a news release which kind.
Geddes, who plans to move from southern New Jersey to Bethlehem to oversee the project, said a hot dog will be on the menu “because that’s what people want,” but he expects the menu to be “a little bit of everything,” according to the release.
Geddes' previous food ventures include operating a hot dog truck.
86 (hot) dog years
In March, Pete's closed its doors after 86 years in Bethlehem.
On the last day of business, Ellie Ramirez, who operated the shop with her father, expressed her gratitude to their loyal customer base. She and her father took over the shop in 1988.
"I just wanted to say thank you to everybody for coming in and patronizing our business for the last 35 years," she said on her last day working at the shop. "Thank you for watching my children grow up, and I enjoyed watching your children grow up. Thank you for everything."
Gao said he ate at Pete's "a few times" during his time at Lehigh. While studying there, he earned a doctorate degree in electrical engineering. He now works for Apple and lives in the Bay Area of California.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed and there's no word on the restaurant's opening date, but the residential units at 406 Carlton Ave. should be ready for move-in by late summer, according to the news release.