By Kyle Coppola
Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ Officially Opens In Lady Lake
LADY LAKE, Fla. — Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ, a rapidly growing national restaurant chain, has opened its newest location in Lady Lake, bringing its unique menu of smoked barbecue dishes, gourmet hot dogs, and self-pour beer wall to the local community.
(Photo Credit – Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ)
The restaurant, located on U.S. Highway 27, in the Target Plaza in Lady Lake and right next to Jersey Mikes, celebrated its opening this week with free hot dogs and self pour beer. Known for its variety of customizable hot dogs, slow-smoked barbecue, and family-friendly atmosphere, Crave offers patrons a chance to enjoy casual dining with an innovative twist. It’s also among the first restaurant’s in the area with an Axe Throwing station. Yes you heard that right, Crave offers axe throwing which is a growing sport in America.
(Try your hand at Axe Throwing. Photo Credit – Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ)
Crave’s menu includes creative hot dog offerings, such as the loaded potato dog, chili cheese dog, and Memphis dog, along with BBQ favorites like the Tacos Trio, featuring pulled chicken, pulled pork, and smoked brisket, and the popular Mac N’ Brisket sandwich. Guests can also enjoy a self-pour beer wall with local craft brews and mixed drinks on tap, along with ax-throwing games for entertainment.
At the helm of Crave is Co-Founder and CEO Samantha Rincione, who brings more than 15 years of experience in the restaurant and franchising industry. With a hands-on approach, Samantha is deeply involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and ensures that each franchisee receives the support needed for success.
(Samantha Rincione is the CEO and started the company a few years ago. The Chain has taken off around the USA and is very popular.)
Samantha’s career in franchising is distinguished by her founding of Emerging Franchises, a franchise development firm that built brands from the ground up. She has also been a multi-unit franchisee with Red Mango and served as Vice President of UFood Grill, where she helped secure a place on Fast Casual Magazine’s “Top 100 Movers and Shakers.”
(The Craft Beer Pour station is unique and offers some awesome Craft Beers to enjoy.)
Her husband and business partner, Sal Rincione, serves as Crave’s Chief Development Officer. With over 25 years of experience in franchising and restaurant operations, Sal plays a pivotal role in expanding Crave’s footprint, overseeing all new location developments. His career includes notable roles such as Vice President of Operations and Development for Five Guys Burgers in NY and NJ and CEO of UFood Grill. Sal’s expertise in real estate and construction has ensured that every Crave location is primed for success.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
