It’s the last call for Captain Paul’s Firehouse Dogs.
Paul Tweedly, who is the “captain” in Captain Paul’s Hot Dogs, has put the business up for sale because of health issues.
A sign in the window stated that the business at 2230 Princeton Pike would be closed Dec. 14 to March for the customary winter break, but in a Facebook post Dec. 28, Tweedly announced that he was pulling back from Captain Paul’s Firehouse Dogs on the advice of his physician.
“I had surgery on Dec. 23 and the doctor said I would have more surgeries upcoming if I didn’t slow down,” Tweedly wrote.
“Janice and I can’t thank you enough for your support over the past 15 years. All the friendships we have made makes this a very difficult decision.”
Captain Paul’s Firehouse Dogs was a landmark and mainstay in Lawrence Township. The hot dog and ice cream business offered support for many nonprofit groups by donating a percentage of the day’s proceeds for the groups’ one-day fundraisers.
It was also a drop-off point for the U.S. Marine Corps’ annual “Toys for Tots” campaign.
Tweedly, who retired as a Trenton Fire Department captain, readily admitted that he fell into the restaurant business. He offered to help another Trenton firefighter who had opened an ice cream stand in the one-story cement building.
But when circumstances changed, Tweedly and his wife, Janice, took over the business in 2009 and expanded its offerings to include hot dogs and sandwiches.
Some of those expanded menu offerings reflected Tweedly’s days as a firefighter/chef. He said he loved preparing meals for the firefighters on his shift when he worked for the Trenton Fire Department.
While the menu originally featured just plain hot dogs after the Tweedlys took over, it was tweaked to offer variations on hot dogs as well as sandwiches. Some recipes were carry-overs from the firehouse, but others were the result of suggestions made by others, Tweedly said.
Some of the sandwiches were named for military soldiers. The “Dakota Meyer” barbecued pulled pork sandwich was named after U.S. Marine Sgt. Dakoka Meyer, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Afghanistan in 2009.
The “Ben Moore” chicken tenders in barbecue sauce was named for U.S. Army Private First Class Benjamin Moore, who grew up in Bordentown. He was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2011.
There was the “Stormin’ Norman” kielbasa sandwich, which was named for U.S. Army Lt. General Norman Schwarzkopf. He was the commander of the United States Central Command and led the coalition forces in the Gulf War against Iraq in 1991. He spent some of his childhood in Lawrence Township and Princeton.
The firehouse theme dominated the interior of the restaurant, which featured five stools at a small counter and a handful of tables outside.
Hundreds of patches from fire departments, police departments and emergency medical service units were tacked to the walls. Firefighters’ helmets from assorted fire departments were suspended overhead.
Tweedly said that over the past 15 years, he sought to make the hot dog stand a family-oriented place. The goal, he said, was to create memories for the children.
“We loved being part of your community,” Tweedly said.
