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By Erica Bowlin For the Times-Tribune

Weaver’s Hot Dogs has been a landmark in downtown London since 1940. It started when Carl Weaver came back from serving in the Army. He was a member of the 2nd Squadron 123rd Calvary (as seen on one photo on the wall in the restaurant) and after retiring, Weaver decided to open a pool hall.

Carl’s Pool Hall became a favorite among locals and tourists alike. People gathered there not only to play pool and have a hot dog, but to share stories and memories.

In the beginning, food was served as a side note, but as the years went on the pool hall evolved into a restaurant. The highlight of a trip to Weaver’s became the secret family recipe of homemade chili. Carl David Weaver is the grandson of Carl and Queena Weaver and current owner. He remembers the family recipe well, but shares the details with no one.

The recipe has grown to into something of a local legend.

“There’s a lot of speculation about the recipe,” Carl said. “People think they know what’s in it, and so I just let them keep guessing. They wonder if it has this or that, and I don’t give away anything. There are only a handful of family members other than me who know it. The recipe was bought for $25 by my grandpa from a traveler who was headed to Mexico.

“In the fifties, my dad Drew was given the chance to keep watch on the place while Grandma and Grandpa were on vacation. Dad jokes that after that, he was pretty much stuck here ever since.”

Drew followed in his father’s footsteps and continued the tradition of serving good food and good times at Weaver’s Hot Dogs.

Drew and his wife Betty continued cooking up the chili and running the restaurant while raising their sons Carl and Wesley. Drew’s brother Gilbert helped run the place as well. The customers continued to come from far and near, and the business continued to thrive.

Carl has many fond memories of his childhood at Weaver’s.

“I was barely tall enough to roll the balls on the tables,” Carl said.

He points to a blue license plate hanging on the wall.

“Dad’s was one of the first vanity plates in London,” he said. “His was ‘Hot Dog’ and his friend Butch Little, a good friend of dad’s, that helped him run the place had one that said ‘NSF,’ which stood for non-sufficient funds. Butch was on the board of directors at Cumberland Valley Bank.”

Carl points to a group of pictures wallpapering the front wall.

“This was what they called the ‘dead wall.’ It started out with Dad and Butch hanging a few pictures as sort of a memorial to their friends and family,” he said. “It just grew from there, and they started hanging more and more pictures. And as you can see, there’s not too many more places to hang pictures on these walls. but I’ll find room. I like finding more pictures and adding to it.”

Since 2001, Carl has been running the family business. After five years working for the state and six years of working for the Laurel County school system, he decided to take his turn as owner and continue the tradition his grandfather began so many years ago.

“Sometime in my college years I began to realize that I would have to at least try it,” said Carl. “I didn’t want to look back and wonder what it would have been like, so I just had to give it a shot.

“Mom and Dad were ready to retire, so I just kind of stepped in.”

According to Carl, the secret to keeping a family business running is very simple.

“You try to serve quality food at a fair price, and you devote most of your time and energy to the business. My wife, Beth, and sons Carl, David and Clay are very understanding and supportive. I make sure that when I get to be at home with them, I’m really home. I’m not out golfing, I’m spending my time with them,” he said.

Carl runs Weaver’s with the same basic principles as his grandfather did — principles that have stood the test of time.

“You have to have an identity. You have to find out what you are good at and stick to it. We have added some items to the menu over the years, but the best compliment I’ve ever gotten was when someone said that the chili tasted the same now as it did when my grandfather made it. That gives me more satisfaction than anything,” said Carl.

The menu at Weaver’s has expanded to include a Road House Burger, with two seasoned beef patties, bacon, cheese and all the fixings. Homemade soups, coleslaw, along with gravy and biscuits are also served.

Of course the star of the menu is still the chili.

There are many regular customers that meet each day at Weaver’s. They gather here not only to eat, but to discuss life.

“We come here to eat a bite and talk, said long-time customer and London native Charles Hedrick. “We talk politics, aggravate each other, and just have a good time. It’s like a second home.”

Although Weaver’s Hot Dogs is a well-established institution with many devoted customers, Carl doesn’t take its success for granted.

“You have to earn it every day. You’ve got to keep serving quality food consistently,” he said. “It’s definitely hard work. But it’s worth it. This place is a reflection of me. This structure represents who I am.”

Weaver’s Hot Dogs is located on Main Street in downtown London and is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday it’s open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call ahead at 864-9937 for take-out.

Erica Bowlin is a former Miss Whitley County and is currently a mother of four living in Lily. You can contact her at ericalynnbowlin@yahoo.com