“The Very Best” hot dog shop has been a staple of the Pottstown community for over 100 years and owner Josh Souders hopes the restaurant will continue to serve up tasty food and plenty of nostalgia for another hundred years, writes Matteo Iadonisi for 6ABC.

The hot dogs that the restaurant is named after were first served up by a Greek immigrant who owned a shoe-repair shop. In 1921, he started serving hot dogs to his customers while they waited for their shoes to be prepared.

The lunch counter quickly became a favorite in the community, but after being in business for almost 100 years, it was in danger of being closed for good until Souders bought it.

“An ad for this place came up from the real estate agent. So, I came in and none of the electric was working and the ceiling had all fallen down on this side,” he explained.

“It was in some sad shape, but it was still salvageable, and it had all the main ingredients.”

The restaurant still had its orange booths and a countertop with spinning tools and Souders saw all the great potential still there.

Today when you walk into The Very Best, it is like taking a step back in time with jukeboxes at the tables and an arcade room that reminded Souders of when he would visit the shop as a child.

Since its reboot in 2019, Pottstown residents have been continuing to visit the shop as much for the nostalgia as for the food.

Souder hopes that with support from the community, The Very Best will be around for another 100 years.

“Every time someone comes in here, there’s always a story they want to hear or tell, and quite often they relate to my own,” he said. “I don’t plan to give it up for a while. So, as long as I can, I’ll be here.”

Read more about The Very Best and Josh Souders at 6ABC.

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More on the retro shop.