The Loss of the Wiener Factory, All For Naught

The writing was on the wall. From jek in the box, Flickr

Sherman Oaks' longstanding Wiener Factory closed on December 31, 2007, forced out because the landlords were making way for another Pinkberry. So this news will not sit well with those who still lament the loss of the snappy hot dogs: The Pinkberry deal is officially dead, according to a Chowhound. The froyo giant couldn't meet the city's parking requirments, and they had an out in the contract. In a Daily News article at the time (via LAist) , Young Lee, co-founder of Pinkberry, had the gall to say, "Historically, many things come and go. But we have good intentions, so we would like to build a beautiful Pinkberry that could be another landmark for the Valley." A "landmark" that would join several others up and down Ventura Boulevard? Come on.

People working to open that Pinkberry told the Encino Sun that Wiener Factory owner Kevin Lentz wanted to retire, which he quickly denied: "This business has been in my family for 36 years. Retirement was not in my plans. It is not in my plans. Hopefully after a short hiatus we’ll be able to continue operating the Wiener Factory at a different location." But that didn't happen, and the question is out there: Now that Pinkberry isn't razing the hot dog hut, is there a chance Wiener Factory can come back? Would they want to?
· Can Anything Really Take the Place of the Wiener Factory? [~ELA~]
· weiner factory/pinkberry [Chowhound]
· Pinkberry to Wipeout More of Pink's Competition [LAist]
· Wiener Factory to close [Encino Sun]