Hidden Gems: Meet Crystal of Da Dawg House

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal.

Hi Crystal, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I wanted a business that my children and I could run so I bought The Ice Bucket at the end of 2019 with hopes of opening in 2020. This was right before COVID hit so we had a delay but were given the green light to open in June of 2020. We operated that trailer alone for a year but customers kept requesting food so we purchased a hot dog cart to keep it simple. After another year we upgraded the cart to Da Dawg House trailer that you see today. Again, this was at the request of our customers wanting more options.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We lost our 14-yr-old daughter to suicide at the end of 2021 and closed the business for a couple of weeks. We didn’t know if or when we would open back up but after a couple of weeks, we decided we would come back for the final two weeks of the season and we were so glad we did. The support we received from all of our loyal customers was phenomenal. They showed us so much love and offered so many prayers and stories of their own that really helped us along the way. It ended up being a bonding experience with so many of the people we had grown to love.

While our children are still very instrumental in the businesses, our dear Kiki is also still part of our business story. We donate 100% of the tips that are given to us to the non-profit we started in her honor. The foundation (keyiscaring.org) provides free music and art lessons to students that need assistance and scholarships to music and art majors.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Da Dawg House?
We are a food truck that usually sits at 2088 Copley Rd. in Copley with our sister truck, The Ice Bucket. Sometimes we move to go to different events but we post on our socials when we plan on leaving so that our loyal customers know where to find us.

Da Dawg House offers Smash Burgers, All Beef Dogs (regular and 1/4lb), Coneys, Sloppy Joes, Fresh Cut Fries (regular and loaded) and vegetarian options of everything. A lot of people try our burger and come back to let us know that it was the best burger that they’ve ever had or had in a very long time.

The Ice Bucket offers one of a kind Sherbet Shakes, Soft Shaved Ice and Ice Cream Novelties.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
We are a family owned business that has had a tremendous amount of support and assistance from family that without them, we would not have been able to establish such a presence in our community and at the events that we have been a part of.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: dadawghousecopley
• Facebook: Da Dawg House