Sumo Dog Becomes Latest Addition To The Canopy In Indio

The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony today at The Canopy shopping center, welcoming the valley’s newest business, Sumo Dog.

Sumo Dog redefines the classic American hot dog with Japanese ingredients.

This is its 15th location in the U.S., but the first of its kind here in the Coachella Valley.

It’s the third restaurant to open its doors in The Canopy shopping center.

What once was just a pop-up at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is now here to stay. 

“So we take some of the ingredients you might find in a sushi restaurant like spicy mayo, teriyaki and we actually add it to the hot dog. We do all beef hot dogs, pork, vegan options and we do burgers as well.” says Jeffrey Lunak, the owner and chef at Sumo Dog.

Most Sumo Dog locations are in sports venues, like Yankee Stadium, SoFi Stadium, and the Golden 1 Center, bringing that feel to this new location in Indio.

“It’s probably more reminiscent of something you’d find in LA and in Orange County. It’s, you know, real, real light. It’s a really tall ceiling, polished concrete, a lot of softwood.” Lunak says.

Those helping grow the business are excited to see what this new restaurant has to offer.

“For the city, it’s a great win to have great food, we love different styles of hotdogs out here, and you get to grow something from the very beginning from a festival out to now permanent location.” says Andrew Mcduffie, with the Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce. 

City officials are thrilled to see the shopping center continue to expand, and for Sumo Dog staff, they say their main goal is to bring a new fun environment into the community.

“Number one, the best hot dog that they’ve ever had is the simplest goal and then, an environment that’s kind of conducive to you know, our mantra is all things to all people. So all walks of life, all age groups, all demographics, coming here, having fun, listening to some good music and eating some great food.” Lunak adds.