Jerry’s Wood-Fired Dogs signage at 6340 Gaston.

A friend has been telling me for the past year that hot dogs are the new hamburgers, as in they’re the trendy new food favorite. I’m not a big dog guy, so I kind of let the information flow in one ear and out the other, but then along comes the new Jerry’s Wood-Fired Dogs franchise, 6340 Gaston, to back up his theory. (The place is near the Papa John’s and across the street from the Wells Fargo Bank Building.)

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Jerry’s just opened Friday (today); as I was walking back from lunch at another place nearby, I saw the “open” banner and stopped in for a quick look. Inside, the tables were full of diners and the smell of wood-fired dogs permeated the air (you can pick up the aroma down by Republic Title).

Once inside, you’re looking at hot dog options that range from $3.50 just for a basic dog (add $3.75 for a drink and french fries or chips). You can spend as much as $5.75 for the Reuben Dog, which comes with hot pastrami, swiss cheese, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. So that’s $7.25 to $9.50 for a dog combo.

If dogs aren’t your style, various sausages are $5.50 for the sausage alone, and $4.95-$6.95 for some wood-fired burgers. The menu also has three salads for $4.50 each; I didn’t see any of those in circulation. And kids’ meals are $3.99 for a corn dog, kid’s hot dog or quesadilla, along with french fries or a fruit cup and a soft drink or milk.

Since I’d already eaten lunch, I can’t say anything about the food other than that it smelled great; in fact, it seems like the kind of place that will require you take some of the aroma back with you when you return to work or wherever you’re going, much like the Burger House’s special salt manages to stick with you long after you’ve gone.

So there you have it. The place is open daily beginning at 11 a.m. and stays open til 8 or 9 p.m. depending on the date of the week. If you try it out, let us all know what you think. (Click on the photos below to enlarge them and take a better look.)