Rick Dahms
Tania Harrison: Wiener takes all.
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What keeps you successful is staying open and changing all the time, trying to improve," says TANIA HARRISON, the owner of Cyber-Dogs. Harrison opened her Internet cafe and veggie-dog restaurant three years ago, and the tiny place—nestled in a former storage space in the Washington State Convention Center and decorated with movie posters and stuffed dogs—just keeps on trucking. After moving to the United States from Russia and working as a software engineer for nearly three decades in Los Angeles and Seattle, Harrison realized a longtime dream: owning a place that serves "healthy fast food," something her vegetarian family and friends (and countless herbivorous Seattleites) would enjoy. Cyber-Dogs jazzes up Loma Linda Big Franks, Harrison's brand of choice, with themed toppings: El Bandito is loaded with vegetarian chili, avocado, and cheese (on request); Laika packs eggplant caviar and onions; and the Greek Goddess is awash in hummus or baba ghanoush, plus feta cheese and pepperoncini—basically a meze platter on a meatless dog. "Nothing I have done as a software engineer, nothing [was] even close to the challenge of making a small business," Harrison says. "I'm doing computers, and I need to do computers well. I'm doing food, and I need to do food well. I hire people, you have to do purchasing, you have to do finance, . . . you have to do interior decorating."
You also have to build a sense of community, which is trickier than all of the above. Walking into Cyber-Dogs is like entering a familiar bar, even if you're there for the first time. Harrison affectionately razzes her customers, whether they're regulars or newcomers, and they seem to enjoy it. Recently, while a professional-looking man waited for his dog by the window overlooking Pike Street, Harrison quipped: "Maybe we should put a good-looking guy by the window!" He laughed. And although she's the owner, Harrison tries to coordinate Cyber-Dogs' music to customers' tastes—and sometimes their national origins. When a frequent customer of Italian descent comes in, she'll stop the Sam Phillips or Bowie and put on opera. She also shows films. When I was there recently, O Brother, Where Art Thou? was playing, but she encourages customers to bring in their own movies, and some actually lend them to the restaurant. Harrison used to play matchmaker, trying to pair up regulars; she quit after one match turned sour. That's probably for the best because the warm, funny atmosphere she's created, platonic or not, is rare and special enough as it is. There are truly few places in Seattle that make you want to talk to strangers as much as Cyber-Dogs.
Though it's a place that makes conversation seem almost effortless, the restaurant is a serious commitment for Harrison, a part-time Roslyn resident. She commutes to Seattle three times a week to work 18-hour days—Cyber-Dogs is open from 11 a.m. to midnight daily—and spends the rest of her time with her family and on sideline projects (like selling her sauces to Roslyn restaurateurs). "I have so much perseverance, I don't give up easily," she says, and that spirit shows. 909 Pike St., 206-405-3647, www.cyber-dogs.com.
Tania Harrison's Picks
- Best Non–Hot Dog Food:
- "I love mushrooms. Any kind of mushrooms. I grew up in Russia, and I used to go pick mushrooms. And I was a really, really brilliant picker. My parents sold mushrooms and marinated mushrooms. One of my hot dogs has mushrooms; it's called Sputnik, with mushrooms and potatoes."
- Best Hot Dog–Eating Music:
- "You know, I like almost any genre, if it's good. You know what I mean? I play a lot of '60s music. I do play Beatles and Stones and Led and Janis. And Johnny Cash, Fiona Apple. I have Magnetic Fields. I do have opera, and I have French music. . . ."
- Best Examples of Cyber-Dogs Customers Giving Back to Cyber-Dogs:
- "We [have] computers, [a] stereo, music, stuffed dogs, theater tickets. I loved those! I am a big theater fan. I suppose those donations didn't directly help the business, but they did cheer me up tremendously, helped me not to give up through the tough times."
