Luke’s Coney Island in St. Petersburg

On my recent trip to Florida, I went to visit Nardo’s Natural World HQ to meet with three of the four Mastronardo boys. They were recently featured on the Shark Tank and were funded by Barbara Corcoran. I planned to interview Kyle Nardo about his Shark Tank experiences, but before we got down to business, Kyle, KJ, Danny, and I decided to grab some lunch.

We went to a new place in St. Pete called Luke’s Coney Island. The joint has only been open for six months or so and was opened by a family from the Detroit area. As the generations systematically escaped the cold Michigan weather and settled in Florida, they began missing authentic Detroit style Coney Island Dogs, so they opened a joint of their own!

Luke’s features Dearborn Franks from Detroit- the same franks used by world famous Lafayette Coney Island in Detroit. They also feature Detroit style Coney Island sauce. The decor is reminiscent of old time hot dog joints and has a Detroit/Michigan theme.

Lunching with the Nardo boys was a trip- at times I felt like I was dining with one of my summer Babe Ruth teams. The guys goofed around with each other as only brothers would and chatted up the staff and patrons. They are committed to keeping their business in the Tampa/St.Pete area, and they like patronizing local businesses too. This was their first trip to Luke’s and, judging from their reaction, it won’t be their last.

I enjoy meeting new people and discovering new hot dog joints, so this trip was an unparalleled success.

After lunch, we headed back to their office where I chatted with Kyle for about 45 minutes. The interview with Kyle about life before, during and after Shark Tank will be published on the Shark Tank Blog. The boys’ episode re-runs Saturday, May 4, 2012 on ABC TV at 8PM Eastern time.

Enjoy the video….

About hotdogman

I enjoy traveling and eating hot dogs wherever I am. I like to sample the local variations of America's favorite encased meat and discovering the stories behind the hot dog, the vendor, and the regional preferences. I also write about How to Start a Hot Dog Business, The Hot Dog Truck, The Shark Tank, and I have a personal blog, RobMerlinodotCom

Comments

  1. Glad you enjoyed St. Pete….I love living here and enjoy the occasional Hot Dog!!! Nice write up…

  2. Good job, Rob! Awesome getting the connection with The Shark Tank. I love that show.

Trackbacks

  1. […] like to see the video of our trip to Luke’s Coney Island Hot Dogs, you can check it out on Hot Dog Stories. Related PostsShark Tank April […]

  2. […] of responsibility to their community. While they were pretty silly when we went out to lunch at a local hot dog joint, all three of the boys I met were very responsible and business-like in the office. It’s […]

  3. […] one , part two and part three. Watch me and the  boys getting Detroit Coney Dogs. Related PostsShark Tank Saturday May […]

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