Nikki's Not Dog Stand, A Vegan Eatery, Opens In Sag Harbor
Outside Nikki's Not Dog Stand in Sag Harbor, New York
A new restaurant in Sag Harbor brings a unique style of beach eats to the Hamptons: Vegan.
Nikki's Not Dog Stand, which opened in Sag Harbor Village this spring, offers a completely plant-based fast food menu of hot dogs, burgers, chili, milkshakes, and more. Located at 51 Division Street and open daily, the entire restaurant is void of animal products but not of creativity and flavor: The menu ranges from a classic New York Dog (topped with spicy mustard and sauerkraut) to a loaded New Mexico burger stacked with hatch chile peppers, serrano mayo, cheddar, and veggies.
Not Dogs at Nikki's Not Dog Stand in Sag Harbor
For founder Nikki Glick, her signature Not Dog Stand isn't exclusive to the Hamptons, but a slice of plant-based Americana iconic to this country's casual culinary culture.
'The Not Dog Stand could be anywhere. That is kind of the point. It is a very inclusive, universal space that would fit on a corner in Coney Island, or on a street in Tulsa, or on the highway in Florida,' Glick said. 'It was made to be in any place and for anyone. Our customers are extremely diverse. Sometimes people come in and enjoy a meal and don't even [know]
Burgers at Nikki's Not Dog Stand in Sag Harbor
The plant-based proteins (Not Dogs and Not Burger) on the menu come from Field Roast, a plant-based meat and cheese company out of Seattle. Vegan treats, including brownies and blondies are sourced from Greyston Bakery in Yonkers. Almost everything else is made in house including potato salad, chili, broccoli salad, soups, pies, white sweet potato fries, and coleslaw. Glick prides herself on knowing that 'a lot of people say they cannot tell the difference [in vegan products]
For Glick, a Not Dog Stand is a connection to history and nostalgia, but modernized for contemporary culture. 'If science is telling us that we should chill out on beef to heal the planet and our own bodies too, it doesn't mean we have to give up on being American,' she says. 'We don't have to quit diners and fast food and rock and roll. These days, health and science often get framed as being part of a privileged wellness culture, while Americana gets more and more tangled up with primitive anti-science. That doesn't make sense, because America's foundation is actually innovation. Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, Little Richard... We have always been about inventing and being on the cutting edge.'
While New Yorkers may be familiar with plant-based fast food, Nikki's Not Dog Stand is one of few vegan-dedicated spaces on Long Island's South Fork. 'McDonald's was groundbreaking and new once too,' Glick adds. 'So, this isn't about rejecting the past, it's about building on it and updating the classics. Tradition only thrives when it adapts. The world is asking us to make changes, and we can do that while still cherishing baseball, jazz, fries and shakes. We make a killer malted.'
Nikki's Not Dog Stand owner Nikki Glaser behind the counter
Though the Hamptons is certainly an upscale vacation destination, Glaser wants her restaurant's mission to extend beyond the ritzy location. 'We want to make plant-based food feel accessible to everyone, regardless of background or lifestyle,' she says. 'The perception of veganism as exclusive and upscale is a barrier that we're trying to dissolve. Of course, operating in Sag Harbor does come with practical challenges. Rent is high, which makes it harder to keep prices down.' Lunch at Nikki's can go for under $20, and the restaurant donates extra ingredients to the local food bank.
Ultimately, the small business has big goals, in terms of feeding locals and visitors and evolving the way people think about food, culture, and the past.
'Nostalgia is dangerous. The past was never as idyllic as we might sometimes like to pretend it was. Yet there are a lot of beautiful things in our history that it would be a shame to throw away in the name of so-called progress,' Glaser says. "To me, there is something uniquely current about listening to Billie Holiday while enjoying a plant based burger at a Formica counter. In an increasingly polarized world where we are told everything is either/or, left or right, white or black, this place is all about coming together."
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