Aqua- and red-painted walls decorated with a few nostalgic tin signs.

A black and white checkered floor.

Red and white retro V-back chairs — classic diner styling with a vinyl seat and metallic finish on four chrome-plated steel legs.

Rectangular retro diner tables with shiny grooved aluminum edges, four tubular steel chrome-plated classic deco legs, and matte aqua formica tops.

Bobby Day singing, “He rocks in the treetops all day long, hoppin’ and a-boppin’ and a-singin’ his song. All the little birds on J-Bird Street love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet. Rockin’ robin. Tweet, tweet, tweet. Rock, rock, rockin’ robin. Tweet, tweedle-dee. Go rockin’ robin. We’re really gonna rock tonight.”

Welcome to Mad Dogs, home of the best dressed (hot)dog.

Opened on March 1 by Andrew and Mary Wardle, a local husband and wife duo, Mad Dogs is located in Bemiss Plaza at 4030-A Bemiss Road in Valdosta. It is basically a gourmet hotdog restaurant, an All-American type of place that provides residents, as well as visitors, a choice of cuisine beyond burgers or barbecue or Chinese or steaks.

Mad Dogs is the brainchild of Mary Wardle, a 41-year-old mother of four boys. She boasts over two decades of experience in the food industry. And it all began when her mother purchased her a car.

“I was 16 years old,” she shared. “Mama said that she would make the first four payments. After that it was my responsibility.”



Mary Wardle drove from her home in Quitman to work at Burger King in Valdosta, and by the age of 19, she was promoted to breakfast manager. From 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., she worked at the fast food chain five days a week. She attended classes at Valdosta State College at night. She continued this schedule, hoping to earn a degree in psychology, until 1988 when she gave birth to her first of four boys at the age of 21. (She eventually went on to work in the food industry as a manager at Wendy’s, supervisor at Wild Adventures, at a nursing home, in a school system, and so on.)

“You can definitely say that I have a good variety of experiences,” she explained. “It all really proved invaluable when I opened my own business. When people walk into Mad Dogs, they think it is a chain restaurant. They can’t believe it’s a ‘mom and pop’ place. That makes me feel proud. I tell them that I created this. It was my idea.”

For more than 10 years, Mary Wardle dreamed of owning and operating her own restaurant. She just did not, however, know what type of restaurant to open.

“I knew I wanted to do something that was easy,” she said. “I did not want a full-plate kind of thing, and I did not want to have to worry about a fryer. I thought about a deli, but there are many of those in the area, and I figured that would hurt me. So, I thought about hotdogs. Then I had to figure out a way to make the hotdogs so people would want to come back again and again.”

Mary Wardle spent three years designing the Mad Dogs concept in her head — every detail etched in her mind until she was ready to make everything a reality. Her husband, Andrew Wardle, was there to support her through the entire process. (She noted that he was the money side of the business.)

“I keep thinking, ‘Oh, it’s really here,’” she said, a childlike excitement evident in her voice. “I cannot believe it sometimes. I have wanted this for such a long time. It does not seem real, but it really is. My mama died about 10 years ago, but she is in every aspect of this place. Growing up, she told me that ‘it will mean so much more to you if you go ahead and do it yourself.’ I bought the furniture, laid the floors, picked out the wall colors .... She was right. This place means everything to me. I just wish she was here to see it.”

“We have received such a good response from the community,” she continued. “Some of them ask me about franchising the business in their home state. Others purchase several extra hotdogs to take back to friends. I love when that happens.”

The Mad Dogs menu features hotdogs, regular or spicy sausage dogs, bratwurst, potato salad, green salad, baked beans, slaw, sauerkraut, chili, veggie chili, macaroni and cheese, cookies, eight varieties of all natural Dirty Potato Chips, slices of pie, root beer and coke floats, and scoops of ice cream. Beer and milkshakes are expected to find a place on the menu in May.

In terms of uncooked weight, the hotdogs at Mad Dogs weigh nearly one quarter of a pound and are 100 percent beef with no fillers and less than 2 percent preservatives. More than 30 toppings are available for the hotdogs, including melted cheese, shredded cheese, chili, three different relishes, hot sauces, mustards, slaw, barbecue sauce, salsa, bell peppers, hot peppers, onions, and more, as well as a choice of breads.

“When our customers joke about having way too many decisions to make, we just tell them to come back tomorrow and try something different,” Mary Wardle said with a giggle.

“I am here all the time, seven days a week, all day long,” she continued. “It’s the hardest thing I have ever done, but it is the most fun I have ever had.”

Mary Wardle hopes to open a second location on Baytree Road in the near future and already has a building picked out. James Wardle, 20, and Justin Wardle, 18, two of her and Andrew Wardle’s sons, work at Mad Dogs part-time.



Mad Dogs Fast Facts

• Mad Dogs is located in Bemiss Plaza at 4030-A Bemiss Road in Valdosta.

• Mad Dogs can be reached by calling (229) 247-4188 or by visiting www.maddogsworld.com.

• Mad Dogs is open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and

Saturday; and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

• Mad Dogs is a come-as-you-are kind of place where the conversations and the dress are always casual and the staff is always friendly. It

boasts an atmosphere reminiscent of a “Happy Days” diner, an atmosphere unlike anything else in Valdosta. It is very family friendly.

• The napkin dispensers at Mad Dogs are covered with the following slogan: “A hotdog a day puts a smile on your face.”

• Mary Wardle is Top Dog at Mad Dogs. Andrew Wardle is the Big Dog. Mike Bowman serves as the manager.

• Mad Dogs offers a full catering service ideal for family reunions, birthday parties, office parties or other special occasions.

• Mad Dogs has a touch of the modern with a big, high definition, flat screen television hooked up to a satellite for sports enthusiasts and free

medium to high speed wireless Internet service.

• Specials offered at Mad Dogs on Tuesday and Thursday include a $2.99 hotdog, chips and drink combo and a happy hour from 7 p.m. to

9 p.m. A military discount is available. Other discounts will likely be available soon.

Web site: maddogsworld.com