Ted’s Hot Dogs in Lockport closes for good

The Lockport Ted’s Hot Dogs location, plagued by staffing issues, has permanently closed. 

“It was a really hard decision for us, but we kind of had to make it,” said Evan Ortolani, Ted’s president.

The problem started during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Ted’s had trouble finding enough staff to keep its restaurants running properly.

“Covid was not easy. It was a hard time for our team,” Ortolani said. “Our Buffalo team is so important. With our staffing challenges, we needed to focus on the stores that could be running more efficiently.

“And, you know, it was kind of just a business focus. We needed to have as many stores open as we could and, unfortunately, Lockport was just too much of a challenge for us to keep open. So, we had to focus on the business as a whole to keep Buffalo thriving.”

Ted’s temporarily closed the Lockport location in the fall and asked workers to work at other locations to beef up staffing levels elsewhere. Other locations, including ones in Cheektowaga and downtown on Chippewa Street, have also closed temporarily at different times. The Chippewa Street store is now open just Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Recently, Ted’s decided it would keep the Lockport location closed for good. 

Burt Flickinger, a Buffalo native, retail expert and CEO of consumer consulting firm Strategic Resource Group, called the move a shock and said the company had been doing strong business.

“I’m really, really surprised that Lockport closed,” he said. “It’s tough getting help two shifts a day, seven days a week.”

Ted’s locations remain open in the Town of Tonawanda, Orchard Park, Cheektowaga, Williamsville, Amherst, North Tonawanda, Depew, Chippewa Street and in Tempe, Ariz.

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