ORLANDO, Fla. – The West Coast quick service chain Cupid’s Hot Dogs is getting ready for the soft opening of its first location on the East Coast on Monday.
The franchise is located at 1515 Lee Road in Orlando and is the fifth Cupid’s location overall, as well as the first outside of California.
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The franchisee, Sorot Boyd Chamlongsupalak, said he is starting trial runs for the restaurant at 10:49 a.m. Thursday and the test runs are set to continue through Sunday.
Chamlongsupalak said the soft opening will start Monday with regular operating hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To celebrate the opening, Cupid’s is offering a special deal for the first 30 days of business where guests can make any meal a combo with fries and drink for $1. A combo is normally a $3.75 upcharge, according to Chamlongsupalak.
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Chamlongsupalak moved to Winter Park with his family about two years ago with his sights set on opening a business in Florida.
Chamlongsupalak and his wife are both Thai — and had been living in Thailand prior to their move to Florida — but he grew up in the United Kingdom while his wife grew up in California. He said it was his wife who made him aware of Cupid’s.
“We visit California all the time and ever since the ‘80s we’ve been having hot dogs there at Cupid’s Hot Dogs,” Chamlongsupalak said.
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When the couple decided on bringing Cupid’s to the East Coast, they approached the owners — sisters Kelly and Morgan Walsh — about franchising.
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“They welcomed the idea and we wanted to, we told them we want to develop the brand into many, many stores in Florida,” Chamlongsupalak said
The franchisee has plans to open four to five additional Cupid’s locations around Central Florida over the next five years.