ROANOKE, Va. – In order to stay in business for a decade, you have to be a top dog. That’s certainly the case at Roanoke’s Top Dawgs Pub and Deli.
Kim Bradley is a breast cancer survivor, so she knows a thing or two about putting up the good fight. She, along with her daughter, Tammie Lafferty, are the duo behind Top Dawgs.
“We put a lot of love into our food.”
Love for each other goes a long way toward making a business run smoothly.
Tammie added, “My mom is my rock and I’m so blessed to have been able to share this experience with her! She is an amazing woman.”
To stay in business as long as they have, the two say that love has to be a two-way street. (And it has been!)
“Our customers - they are very dedicated to us, and we are so happy to have them.”
Customers - both of the two and four-legged kind - are always welcome. This is a place for top dogs after all, right down to the bar in the middle that’s shaped like a bone.
“The customers bring their dogs with them. We give them a treat. We have dog bowls. Some people get them a little burger patty while they’re here.”
These patties are getting a face lift, thanks to recent menu additions.
“New wing sauces. We changed our burgers to a couple new burgers. We added some new hot dogs as well.”
Rather than me tell you about them, let’s get the inside scoop straight from the Top Dawgs’ mouths.
“The Mac attack. It has a pile of mac n’ cheese on it, crispy onions on it and it’s just piled high. Cowboy burger – it has cole slaw, BBQ, the onions on it and it’s piled high too. The Bulldog which has bleu cheese and bacon on it. The Southern Belle has the homemade pimento cheese and bacon on it.”
Over the years, this place has become known for its homemade wing sauces and has been raking in awards from Roanoke’s WingFest. The one earning the hardware is this restaurant’s namesake - the Top Dawg!
Lafferty says, “That one is sweet with a little touch of heat, and that’s our award-winner.”
After one taste, we could see why it’s earned so many accolades.
Ten years down and many more to go. Who knows what more exciting things are to come when you take the leash off and let these dogs run wild?
Top Dawgs is open every day starting at 11 a.m. They deliver with DoorDash and GrubHub, and you can place to-go orders in this link. Trivia nights are every first and third Tuesday of the month, and they also do a paint night once a month.