You’ll likely come across some folks sitting on concrete benches, or on a lawn, or in some folding chairs out front enjoying a soda or even a sparkling adult beverage — always with an open hot dog wrapper in hand and the kind of smile that likely can only be found in that exact location with those exact set of circumstances: lounging by the water, air tinged with sea salt, scored by the sounds of bilge pumps and maybe some Foreigner or Journey or other interchangeable mononymous 1980s balladeers coming over a boat’s crackling speakers.  

If you end up here on a summer afternoon, congratulations — you’ve found it. You’ve found the place.

In the middle of a recent weekday, I rolled up to Santa Barbara Harbor wanting to find out more about what makes the Harbor Snack Shack a destination for both locals and celebrities looking to enjoy a dog and a drink privately in paradise.  

On my continued quest to find cheap food in Santa Barbara — the town where the median house will run you $1.4 million — I’ve been having a tough time finding any place where a twenty would even get me through the left-hand side of the menu.

Then one Monday in late March, while finishing a truncated waterfall hike in Montecito (the trails still weren’t fully open in the immediate wake of this winter’s storm activity), I heard a couple coming off the trail talking about how they could really go for a hot dog and a beer “down by the pier.”  

I thought that sounded pretty good. A quick Google search revealed the sought-after oceanfront mini mart. I headed right down there and found only the restrooms were open while the store was closed (Harbor Snack Shack is only closed one day a week and that’s Monday.)  

I made a mental note and for the next few months, anticipating a return trip, stalked its Instagram.  

It was through a little innocent daily “research” that I came to understand that a big part of the charm of Harbor Snack Shack is its patrons, or rather, proprietor Dick Lawrence’s constant chronicling of them.  

Go ahead, take a minute and scroll through the account. Every person who buys a hot dog there gets their photo taken and posted on Instagram — and IRL on the wall near the condiments stand, on the ceiling, outside near the sitting area. Zero in on their faces and you’ll find every patron seems giddy to be there, many gazing upon their treat, swaddled in aluminum foil, with an anticipatory glow. Nothing makes people happy like hot dogs, and this little gallery is as good a testament to that as I’ve seen.  

Before I set foot inside, I came upon a couple kindred spirits — Harbor Snack Shack regulars, Gabriel Moffitt, 14, and his friend Linn Osburn, 12. The born-and-raised Santa Barbara duo were enjoying their hot dogs with their bikes leaned up against the side of the building and their helmets still on. They said they liked the convenience of the stand, close to their school, even closer to the skate park — and right on the waterfront.  

“It’s our go-to. We’ve been coming here a lot since we were old enough to,” Gabriel said before taking a generous bite for emphasis. “I mean, these are your pretty basic hot dogs. But they’re good. Well-cooked, but not dry. Bun holds up nice, not soggy. It’s a good snack to get you through the afternoon.”

Linn agreed. “For about five bucks, well, there’s nothing else that you can find for that much,” he said. “But they’re good and it’s fun to eat outside here. There’s a lot of people that come by.”

Next to the pair was a father sharing a hot dog with his toddler son, and next to them, four women sitting in a lawn chair circle around a small black folding table. In the center, an open bottle of rosé. They sipped the wine out of clear plastic cups between hot dog bites. It looked luxurious.

The feel-goodness of this oceanfront hot dog zone caused me to step up my pace toward the store’s threshold. Once inside, I was greeted immediately by Lawrence as if I was an old friend.

“Well, you seem excited to be getting a hot dog today,” he said as he reached into the hot dog machine, a Carnival King with the all-beef franks slowly rotating on the rollers. “Do you want onions?”

I asked Lawrence for the works, and he whipped out a fresh bun, took a dog off the cooker, doused it with diced onions, wrapped up the treat and handed it to me in one clean motion.  

Regardless of your combo of choice, a dog, a soda and some chips will still leave you with change coming back when you hand over a $10 bill. Upgrade to beer or wine and you’re still likely out the door under $20.

And if you’re lucky, you’ll even run into a small peanut gallery of frequent visitors who make their own recommendations. Don Moore was one such regular on hand that afternoon keeping Lawrence company in the shop. He was also acting as photographer’s assistant when it came time for the picture. “Smile big, you’re going on the wall,” he said to me as I looked toward the lens holding my hot dog. 

“It’s not a tough formula,” Lawrence said after he snapped and posted my photo. “It’s the location, right next to the water. It’s the views. It’s the people. It’s the dogs. You know I just sit here every day, see the boats coming and going, it’s a good life.” 

It can’t be that simple though, can it?

“I don’t skimp on quality,” Lawrence continued. “These are Hebrew National. We’ve got fresh buns. Condiments are always made fresh. It’s all the best. It’s a pretty easy food to cook. And the people, you know, stop once. They take a bite and say, ‘Not bad,’ and usually, they come back.”

Boy, do they. The photo gallery just passed the 3,000-patron mark Lawrence said, and counted among them are some hot dog aficionados you might not immediately expect. Athletes, actors, politicians, you name it. Tour around the hot dog stand’s walls and you’re sure to spot some folks who could literally eat anywhere in the world — and there they are, enjoying a hot dog by the water.  

From Barack Obama taking a generous bite of one of the mini mart’s specialties greeting you near the door, to eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard (“He loves stopping by for a dog and a little conversation”) to Italian bombshell Gina Lollobrigida (“Yes, the most beautiful people in the world … also like hot dogs”), it seems like I was one of the last folks to have discovered this seaside secret.  

“We love putting people’s pictures on the wall, but we also know we live in Santa Barbara,” said Lawrence, who took over the concession 24 years ago with his wife, Dolly, after they relocated from New York to be closer to their sons, who were enrolled at UC Santa Barbara. “Part of the deal here is letting famous people come and go and not making a big deal. Let people live their lives and enjoy their hot dogs.”

(In case you’re wondering, Montecito residents Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have yet to try a hot dog there. Oprah, too, is not yet a regular, Lawrence said.)  

After our conversation and my photo, Lawrence gestured to me to go dress up my dog with one of the most complete condiment tables I’d ever encountered: relish, jalapeños, an array of hot sauces, several of them produced locally, and a variety of mustards. Satisfied with my choices, I went to the south side of the building and sat down on a cold concrete bench at a wood-slatted table, just as a handful of German tourists started taking pictures of me and the rest of the harbor. I wondered: Did they think I was someone special, too? Or is the image of someone about to enjoy a hot dog by the ocean just too tempting to pass up?

Dick Lawrence of Harbor Snack Shack; preparing the perfect hot dog at Harbor Snack Shack. (Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE)
Dick Lawrence of Harbor Snack Shack; preparing the perfect hot dog at Harbor Snack Shack. (Andrew Pridgen/SFGATE)

As soon as my paparazzi were done shutterbugging, they disappeared into the store for treats of their own.  

I unwrapped the dog and took my first bite. I’m happy to report that at that very moment, the skies opened up and the May gray suddenly gave way to the too-bright Santa Barbara summer sun shining right down on me. 

The snap of the casing and the mix of condiments in the bright, clean environment led me to exhale an audible sigh. It also got me thinking about loyal customer Moore’s parting words as I exited the mini mart: “The greatest hot dogs and the greatest views in the world,” he said. “Now, who can resist that?”