Jenny Howe of Nah Dogs at Indie Flea in St. Petersburg, Florida on April 2, 2023. Credit: nahdogsstpete / Facebook
While closing Good Intentions, co-founder Jenny Howe is doubling down on her beloved vegan hots with a Nah Dogs brick-and-mortar opening this summer. Why?
“Everyone loves a hot dog.”
In response to a lack of late-night vegan options in St. Petersburg and at Tropicana Field stadium during Rays’ games, Howe and her husband, Jeff, opened the first Nah Dogs cart in 2019.
“We just wanted to be community-driven and offer vegan options,” Howe said. “And that felt like a very easy way for us to start both of those things.”
After working countless festivals and steamy outdoor gigs, Nah Dogs will finally have a home with air conditioning, sharing a courtyard with Tombolo Books and Black Crow Coffee in downtown St. Pete.
For her, the aim for Nah Dogs’ storefront is to be comfortable and inclusive, an approachable option for those who may want to go vegan but don’t know where to start or worry about the isolation that the lifestyle may come with.
“I think you can’t do that without being a vegan place—like that is literally for everyone, everybody can eat there,” Howe said.
“The isolation part of it is certainly getting more prevalent around here as we lose more businesses. ”
Like most trends, Howe believes the meatless lifestyle will make a comeback, but says that current industry struggles are a glimpse of a larger problem.
“I can’t remember the last time that I heard people say, ‘Keep St. Pete local.’ That feels like it’s dying, not even just (for) vegan businesses,” she said.
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This article appears in July 23 – 29, 2026.
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