A new family-owned restaurant brings an American classic to Kimberly | The Buzz

KIMBERLY − A new family-owned restaurant, Funky Franks , opened Oct. 2, bringing an American classic to Kimberly and the Fox Valley.

The hot dog joint, at 700 Schelfhout Lane, Suite A, is owned by Josh Young, who runs the shop with his wife, Melissa. Young isn't new to operating a small business, having worked for his father and stepmother for nearly 20 years at Mom & Pop's Bakery before they retired and closed the business.

"Both my parents are business owners, so kind of in the blood," Young said. "Once my parents retired in June and sold their building we thought maybe it would be a good time, me and my wife, to venture out on our own."

The former bakery posted on its Facebook page announcing the arrival of Funky Franks in June.

"We’ll continue to be in the community helping to support our son’s new family owned hot dog restaurant," the post said. "He’s been behind the scenes at the bakery since we opened!"

Young said he and his wife started planning for their new business venture in April, with his father and stepmother also helping getting the business up and running. He said he got the idea for the restaurant concept from traveling around and finding similar places.

The hot dog restaurant offers a variety of specialty hot dogs, such as Chicago franks and Mac n Cheese franks, with the addition of a build-your-own option.

"We had quite a few customers that used to go into Mom and Pop's that we recognized, and my dad and stepmom were in helping on opening day, so it was good to chat with some of those people since they've been closed for a few months now," Young said. "We're most looking forward to those types of experiences."

For more information and updates on Funky Franks, visit funkyfrankswi.com or their Facebook page .

Faith Huey is a business reporter for The Appleton Post-Crescent. You can reach her at fhuey@gannett.com or view her Instagram profile at @Faith.Huey .

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: A new family-owned restaurant brings an American classic to Kimberly | The Buzz