They put what on a hot dog? Turlock’s new Krepe Dogs serves fully loaded dogs and fries

There are hot dogs, and then there are Krepe Dogs.

The new food truck rolled into Turlock May 5, and has been serving up loaded gourmet hot dogs and French fries ever since. Husband-and-wife owners Jorge and Eileen Rodriguez first had the idea for the business about a year ago — around the same time they got married. So now they consider Krepe Dog their “first baby,” if that baby was wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese.

Indeed, all the dogs come slit open and stuffed with cheese, then wrapped tight in a bacon blanket and grilled Mexican street cart-style. But you might not even notice given the massive toppings Krepe Dog piles on its buns. From its popular Sancho Dog (with grilled onions, carne asada, chorizo and a sunny side up fried egg), to the Elote Dog (topped with grilled corn, onions, cotija cheese, crema and chile piquin like Mexican street corn) and the Tropical Dog (covered in pineapple, tomato, onion, cilantro and habanero peppers). The truck sells nine kinds of dogs, including an organic veggie dog and mini corn dogs.

And the hot dogs are only half of the equation. The couple also hand cut fresh potatoes daily for their loaded fries. How loaded are they? Well, take the Whatever Fries, which is a dinner-size portion of fries topped with grilled onions, mac and cheese, grilled corn, cotija cheese, ketchup, house dressing and a fried egg. Not spicy enough? How about the Carne Asada Hot Cheeto Fries that are slathered with carne asada, nacho cheese, and generous layer of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

“We want to make T-shirts that says, ‘Breaking Diets Since 2018,’” said Eileen Rodriguez.

While the fare may not be exactly waistline friendly, the atmosphere the Turlock duo is trying to create is fully family friendly. Krepe Dog is parked next to the Fancy Frost Shaved Ice van on West Canal Drive, between Geer Road and Golden State Boulevard. Fancy Frost moved from its downtown location to the empty lot in May when Krepe Dog opened. Together the owners, who are friends, have installed cafe lights, seating and a cornhole game to help diners pass the time. This summer the Rodriguezs also plan to put up a screen to project free movies for customers.

“We wanted this to have a good atmosphere. We want to make this a hangout spot for families,” Jorge Rodriguez said.

The couple had their 14-foot trailer custom made by Modesto-based Cal Central Catering Trailers. Together with Fancy Frost and the Viva Taco Bus, which also sometimes parks in the same lot, the mobile eateries have created a mini food truck court in the middle of Turlock.

The couple, who work on the truck along with two employees, are also taking it to area events and venues, including Blaker Brewing and the Patterson Apricot Fiesta this weekend.

But what about that name? Eileen Rodriguez said they has originally wanted to serve hot dogs and crepes from the trailer. But they dropped the crepe idea, and changed the spelling of their name to “Krepe” with a “K” to avoid confusion. But take heart, crepe lovers, she said they are considering adding crepes into their menu in the future.

Krepe Dog is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 12 to 9 p.m. Sunday at 61 W Canal Drive in Turlock. For more information call 209-648-3510 or visit them on Instagram at www.instagram.com/krepedog.

This story was originally published June 2, 2018 at 1:29 PM with the headline "They put what on a hot dog? Turlock’s new Krepe Dogs serves fully loaded dogs and fries."