Short Leash Hot Dogs to Open Inside Former Downtown Deli Space, Provide Food for Charlie Levy's Valley Bar

Over the last six years Brad and Kat Moore have turned their single Short Leash Hot Dogs food truck into a miniature restaurant dynasty that includes multiple food trucks, two brick and mortar restaurants, and a doughnut and coffee shop.

Now they've taken on what might be their biggest project yet: a nearly 24-hour operation that will combine their hot dog and doughnut businesses and give them an "opportunity to do something different." 

In addition to creating a dinner menu for the Valley Bar in downtown Phoenix, the Moores will open a third restaurant inside the former Downtown Deli at 130 N. Central Avenue. 

By night, the former Downtown Deli will serve as the kitchen for the newly opened underground music venue, and by day the restaurant will offer Rollover Doughnuts and Short Leash hot dogs for breakfast and lunch, respectively. 

The dinner menu for Valley Bar should launch within the next two to three weeks, Brad says. And it will be completely different from what's offered on the Short Leash food trucks or at either of the Moores' two restaurants, Sit Stay on Roosevelt Row and Short Leash at Union at the Biltmore. 

For Valley Bar the Moores have created a menu of "upscale bar food" — items such as a bratwurst burger that will feature bratwurst meat in a burger form and a Montecristo sandwich that will use a Rollover doughnuts instead of bread. The focus will be on sharable plates, but Brad says they plan to create a few signature hot dog specifically for the venue. 

And though food will be prepared in the kitchen upstairs, diners will be able to order from servers just like at a typical bar or restaurant. 

"It should be seamless," Brad says. 

Then, once they've settled into the space, the Moores plan to open a breakfast and lunch restaurant upstairs. Downtown Deli, which was a downtown staple for years, closed in May and is located on the ground level of the building that houses Valley Bar. Brad says they expect to be open a new restaurant in the space by late August or early September. 

The owners haven't settled on a name for the new restaurant (they're playing with the idea of Short Leash on Central), but the idea will be to serve Rollover Doughnuts and offer a full coffee bar in the morning — and then switch to a menu of Short Leash signature hot dogs for lunch. The restaurant will close around 3 p.m. so they can focus on switching over the dinner menu for Valley Bar at night. 

"We're excited to be a part of [the project]," Brad says of Valley Bar. The music venue comes from local concert guru Charlie Levy, who also co-owns Crescent Ballroom, and brings a unique speakeasy-style vibe to the downtown music scene. 

For more information about Short Leash Hot Dogs visit the Short Leash Hot Dogs website or Facebook.

For more information about Valley Bar visit the Valley Bar website or Facebook. 

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