Hot dogs, speedy service and a casual vibe: these are the cornerstones of new Square restaurant Quacks. Situated between Ajax Diner and Van Atkins Jewelers, it is locally owned and aims to appeal to the budgets of college students.
Co-owner Joe Bittick was a collaborator in deciding this format was right for Quacks.
“It’s good and something that’ll fill you up for $10 to $15. It’s about having that price available while on the Square, with cheap liquor and quick service with a smile,” Bittick said.
Luke McKey, co-owner of Quacks, has played tag with Oxford throughout the years. He has ultimately made his way back to Oxford with Quacks as his focus.
“I’m from the Jackson area, went to school here (in Oxford), but I actually moved back here from Seattle, Wash.,” McKey said.
McKey attended the University of Mississippi for college and relocated to Seattle following graduation. After a career in real estate, he returned with his family to Oxford. Bittick, on the other hand, is originally from Memphis.
Thanks to a love of casual dining and Bittick’s experience in the restaurant business, McKey and Bittick had the idea to open Quacks.
“Hot dogs are one of the most served foods in the entire country and, with Joe’s background, we thought he could get real creative with them,” McKey said.
Bittick continued McKey’s sentiment.
“Hot dogs are a blank canvas, you can put anything on them,” Bittick said.
While building the restaurant, the owners decided to take to social media and request pictures of dogs to incorporate into their bar. They have over 1,500 pictures in their finished bar with plans to add more.
“Everyone loves dogs. It was a lot of fun soliciting all these photos: dogs, people with their dogs, we got one guy with his lawn mower, some with horses, and it’s entertaining. People like to come and find their spot and show off their picture to their friends,” McKey said.
Quacks got its name through a leaf on McKey’s family tree.
“My son went out for the soccer team and the coach goes, ‘Oh, you’re the new kid from Seattle, we’re gonna name you Quacks, you know, for the University of Oregon Ducks?’” McKey said. “It doesn’t make any sense cause Seattle is in Washington, and that’s why it stuck.”
Bittick, being the chef at Quacks, claims his inspiration for the different dogs comes from family members and pop culture.
“The PJ’s Poboy is from my mama. She’s an author who writes romance books and her pen name is PJ,” Bittick said. “Buffalo chicken dip–who doesn’t like buffalo chicken dip?–put it on a hot dog and call it ‘Buffy The Chick Slayer,’ cause ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ is a great show.”
Since the opening of Quacks earlier in the year, business has been successful. They are looking to continue their success into the football season and the rest of the semester.
“It has been great. Consistently, the biggest challenge is getting through summer, but now that college is back and football is in town, things are looking great. We had our record weekend this past weekend which, hopefully, we’ll continue to surpass again and again,” McKey said.
