Phoenix is home to a wide array of food trucks; these are their stories. To read the last installment of the Phoenix Food Trucks series,
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Mango chutney, pinto beans and cilantro are a far cry from the traditional ketchup, mustard and relish that top most hot dogs. But Short Leash isn’t your traditional hotdog cart.
Co-owners Kat and Brad Moore used to joke about opening a restaurant. In June 2010, the couple jumped on the food-truck craze that has been sweeping the nation, and they created Short Leash.
Brad, 37, and Kat, 42, both work in the truck. Brad takes orders while Kat is in charge of the cooking. Both dress simply in jeans and T-shirts topped off with orange hats that boast the Short Leash logo. The two have been married for 17 years and have lived in Phoenix for 11.
“It’s our home,” Brad said. “We love it because it’s a big city with a small-town vibe.”
Neither Brad nor Kat has any formal culinary training. Brad used to wait tables when he was younger and later worked in banking. Kat worked in multiple restaurants before the couple opened the business.
The quick cooking time and simplicity of hot dogs attracted Kat and Brad. They felt it was something they could make their own.
“We try different things when we make them at home,” Kat said. “Everything goes good on a hotdog.”
Short Leash gives a choice of six different types of wieners, including a veggie dog. The hot dogs are served in a piece of warm flatbread because of Brad’s dislike for traditional hot-dog buns.
Short Leash also offers five combinations named after dogs of friends and family. The “Oliver” is made with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and thousand-island dressing, while Kat’s favorite, the “Moki,” consists of roasted green chilies, sautéed onions, tomatoes, pinto beans, cheddar cheese and mayonnaise.
These signature combinations are always available, but once a week, Short Leash features a “Dog of the Week.” The specials are modeled after photos submitted by customers of their pets.
Each “Dog of the Week” has its picture posted on the Short Leash sandwich board with its own original Short Leash combination of toppings.
Kat enjoys the creativity of coming up with toppings but admits that operating a business can be difficult.
Brad agrees. “It never grows as fast as you think,” he said. “It’s hard to develop a following.”
As owners of a food truck, they also have to deal with limited space for food storage and cooking. Short Leash can only work in areas the city has zoned as industrial, which eliminates a lot of property.
Short Leash consistently makes an appearance at the Phoenix Public Market on Wednesday evenings, and on Friday afternoons during Food Truck Fridays. The truck is parked behind the Valley Youth Theater on Wednesdays for lunch, and the couple also sell hotdogs at a variety of Phoenix-area parties and events.
“We’re always working,” Brad said, adding that Short Leash is a full-time job. “If we’re not in the truck, we’re shopping, planning or cooking.”
Short Leash serves about 150 to 180 people during Food Truck Fridays.
“I just concentrate on making sure no one waits too long,” Kat said.
When it gets really busy, the experience becomes something like a scene from a video game, she said.
“(It’s) like Whac-A-Mole or something,” she added. “Very repetitive.”
Regardless of Kat’s efforts, Short Leash almost always has the longest lines.
Karin Santiago, a Food Truck Friday regular, braved the Short Leash line at a recent Food Truck Friday. It stretched from the little ordering window, where Brad stands, into the shaded seating area.
“They always have the worst line,” Santiago said. But she added that it’s worth the wait, for her favorite “Aiko” dog topped with mango chutney, jalapenos, cilantro, red onions and mayonnaise.
“It’s nice to see returning faces — it means people keep coming back,” Brad said of regular customers like Santiago.
At the Farmers’ Market, Brad’s mother, Mirkita Moore, enjoyed the dog of the week, the “Daisy May.”
“It’s been amazing to see how they (Kat and Brad) have grown,” Mirkita said. “They’ve become so popular, such a big part of the community, and I’m so proud of them.”
In the future, Brad hopes Food Truck Fridays grows, even though the Public Market space can only fit two or three more trucks.
Brad also said that he “wants to grow the brand of Short Leash” and establish a permanent location for the business in central Phoenix.
“This is where we work, live and play,” Brad said.
Contact the reporter at cyndey.mcfarland@asu.edu
