AUSTINTOWN, Ohio – Feel like a bite?
Zombie Dogz & Piez could make a run-down gamer feel alive again.
The new food stand opened Tuesday in the food court at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course.
It offers a range of loaded hot dogs and pizzas, each with a name suitable for the undead.
There’s the Texas Chain Slaw Massacre, with shredded pork, fried onions, baked beans and vinegar slaw.
Or maybe a Home on Derange – with shredded chicken, ranch dressing, bacon bits and shredded Swiss cheese – would be better to gnaw on.
The pizza side of the menu includes the Zombie Margherita, with sliced heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella. There is also the Deadly Delight, with garlic cream, Italian sausage, crispy pepperoni, bacon and a mozzarella and brick cheese blend.
The cold and sweet shakes include the Graveyard Mudzlide, which includes a splash of espresso, a fudge swirl with Oreo crumbles and – of course – gummy worms.
Zombie Dogz has taken over the space formerly occupied by a Wahlberger’s – the national gourmet burger chain founded by actors Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, and their chef brother, Paul.
Wahlberger’s left the casino after its lease expired Feb. 28, according to Carmen Kesel, marketing director.
That made it feeding time for Penn Entertainment, which owns and operates the Austintown racino and many other gaming properties. Penn has already added Zombie locations at its casinos in Dayton; Bangor, Maine; and Plainridge, Mass., which is near Boston.
Zombie Dogz started in 2012 as a food truck in Dayton and became a local favorite in that city. Penn purchased it in 2022.
The food stand caters the strongest to those who need a late bite, Kesel said.
Pizza is not an original part of the Zombie Dogz menu. It was added for the Mahoning Valley location because of the area’s love for pizza, said Kevin Brogan, vice president-marketing.
The chain has been a hit at its other locations, and he’s eager to introduce it to the Youngstown area.
“It’s been doing really well, which makes it exciting for us to bring it in,” Brogan said. “The nice thing is, we’re not working from scratch. We’ve got something that’s already proven in different markets. It’s proven in Dayton; it’s proven in Maine; it’s proven in Boston. We think it’s going to be very successful here in the Valley.”
Hot dogs have long been popular for track-goers here, Brogan said.
“We think it’ll be nice for our racing afternoon crowd,” he added. “But also late night and weekends, there’s a younger demo, and it’s a quick bite, a quick grab. And there’s some really unique tastes in there as well.”
The original Zombie Dogz food truck is still up and running at Penn’s property in Dayton. There’s a chance it could make its way to Youngstown this year.
“We have a food truck festival in August, and we also have the Austintown Fourth of July fireworks celebration in June,” Brogan said. “It might make sense for the Zombie truck to make a trip from Dayton up here and have it on the front lawn for our guests to enjoy.”
Zombie Dogz & Piez opens at 11 a.m. each day, with scheduled closing times of 7 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 10 p.m. the remainder of the week.
Pictured at top: Loaded hot dogs and fries at Zombie Dogz & Piez.