This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Up Dog is a specialty hot-dog shop on the Independence Square, opened in 2011 by Ken and Cindy McClain — the husband-and-wife team widely credited with the decades-long revitalization of the historic Square — and themed as a 1950s-style diner.

Description

Up Dog is a counter-service specialty hot-dog shop on the Independence Square in Independence, Missouri. The shop is fitted out as a retro 1950s-themed diner and built around a menu of dressed, named-by-city hot dogs — including a Chicago Dog (pickle, tomato, relish, onions, sport peppers, mustard, celery salt on a poppy-seed bun), a Missouri Dog (pickle, bacon, cheddar, mustard), a New York Dog, and the signature Rio Dog (bacon, onions, jalapeños, mustard and cream cheese). Beyond the dogs, the kitchen also serves smashburgers, Philly cheesesteaks, and chicken tenders.12

The shop sits among the cluster of restaurants and retail the McClain family operates on and around the Square, a short walk from sister concepts such as Square Pizza and the family’s flagship, Ophelia’s. Up Dog was included by Southern Living in a regional roundup of notable / “legendary” hot-dog joints, the press recognition most often cited for the shop.3

Ownership and history

Up Dog is owned by Ken and Cindy McClain, who opened it in 2011.32 The McClains are the husband-and-wife developers and restaurateurs behind the long-running revitalization of the Independence Square: beginning with the 1998 purchase of their first boarded-up building on the then-blighted Square and the opening of their flagship restaurant, Ophelia’s, around 1998–1999, they have grown a locally owned portfolio of roughly 15–18 businesses there, including nine food concepts.24 Up Dog is one of those food concepts. The business is independent and locally owned — there is no national or franchise corporate parent; it operates under the McClains’ family of Independence Square enterprises (referred to in some listings as “McClain Enterprises”).12

For full context on the ownership group and its civic role, see the sister Registry page ophelias-restaurant-inn.

See also

Last verified: 2026-06-21 · Source: Up Dog official menu page (eatupdog.com), The Kansas City Star / Southern Living feature · URL(s): https://eatupdog.com/menu/ · Confidence: High (item names, descriptions, and prices pulled directly from the official menu page; medium only on which dogs are currently in rotation, since seasonal/limited items can change). Note: the official menu does not currently list Philly cheesesteaks despite older listings citing them — see flag below.

Up Dog’s menu is built around named-by-city specialty hot dogs on Vienna-style franks, with smashburger versions of the same toppings, loaded “Dog Pile” bowls, chicken tenders, and a kids’ “Pup Dogs” line.5

Signature dogs (single / combo)

  • Rio Dog — cream cheese, bacon, onions, jalapeños, mustard. The house signature. ($7 / $13 combo)5
  • Missouri Dog — pickle, bacon, cheddar cheese, mustard. ($7 / $14)5
  • Chicago Dog — pickle, tomato, relish, onions, sport peppers, mustard, celery salt on a poppy-seed bun. ($8 / $14)5
  • Detroit Dog — beanless chili, diced onions, mustard. ($7 / $13)5
  • New York Dog — mustard, sauerkraut. ($7 / $13)5
  • Hawaiian Dog — ham, potato chips, mozzarella, pineapple sauce, pink sauce. ($8 / $14)5
  • Bacon Chili Cheese Dog — bacon, beanless chili, cheddar on a brat bun. ($8 / $14)5
  • Chili Cheese Dog — beanless chili, cheddar cheese. ($7 / $13)5

Dog Piles (loaded bowls)

  • Rio Pile — chopped hot dog, cheese sauce, sautéed onions, bacon, jalapeños. ($14)5
  • Missouri Pile — chopped hot dog, bacon, cheddar, pickles. ($14)5

Smash burgers

  • Smashburger versions of the city-dog toppings (Missouri, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Rio, Cheeseburger, Bacon Chili Cheese, Chili Cheese), built as single / double / triple stacks (roughly $7–$15 by stack size; +$5 for combo).5

Chicken

  • Chicken Tenders — 3 pc ($9) / 5 pc ($11), combo available.5
  • Southern Bird — chicken strip, cheddar, pickle, bacon, honey mustard on a bun. ($9 / $14)5

Pup Dogs (kids)

  • Mini Corn Dogs ($6 / $10 combo); Naked Dog ($6 / $10); Chicken Tenders (2 pc) ($7 / $10).5

Sides & drinks

  • Fries ($4), Cheese Fries ($5), Chili Cheese Fries ($6), Tater Tots ($5), Onion Rings ($7); Polly’s Pop / soda (kids ~$2 / regular $3.29 / large $4.29).5

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Sources

Footnotes

  1. Up Dog — official site — https://eatupdog.com/ — accessed 2026-05-31. Concept (1950s diner; specialty dogs, smashburgers, Philly cheesesteaks, chicken tenders), address 114 N Liberty St, phone (816) 836-2900, parent “McClain Enterprises.” ↩ ↩2

  2. City of Independence, MO — “Up Dog” — https://www.independencemo.gov/visitors/places-eat/casual-dining/dog — accessed 2026-05-31; live URL re-located and confirmed 2026-07-11 (prior URL 404’d). ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. Yahoo News / The Kansas City Star — “This KC area hot dog place was just named one of the best in ‘the South’” — https://www.yahoo.com/news/kc-area-hot-dog-place-185006103.html — accessed 2026-05-31. Founded 2011; owners Cindy and Ken McClain; Southern Living feature; address 114 N Liberty/Independence St; signature Rio Dog; also own Square Pizza. ↩ ↩2

  4. Ophelia’s Restaurant — About Us — https://opheliasrestaurant.com/about-us/ — accessed 2026-05-31. McClain Independence Square revitalization, 1998 first building, portfolio of food concepts. ↩

  5. Up Dog — official menu page — https://eatupdog.com/menu/ — accessed 2026-06-21. Full item list, descriptions, and single/combo prices for Updogs, Dog Piles, Smash Burgers, Specialties, Pup Dogs, and Sides & Drinks; hours Mon–Fri 11a–5p, Sat 11a–4p, closed Sun. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16

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On the record — ks.city/registry/up-dog · record updated 2026-07-24