Our Story

It was 1959. Miami was smaller, slower, and flowed at a snail's pace.  

With my older brother, Ronnie, a shy five-year-old, my Mom, Flaminia Arbetter, would wait to board a city bus with a big pot of homemade chili.  Since they lived out west near the Everglades,  waiting quite a while at the bus stop was to be expected—the destination - Flagler and East 4th Avenue.

She was heading to Arbetter's Hot Dogs in downtown Miami, where my Dad, Robert "Bob" Arbetter, was busy chopping onions to open at 10 a.m.The chili was a pot of gold. My Mom was born in Central Italy. Incredible cooking ran in her family, so it was no surprise that she created the masterpiece recipe for the legendary Arbetter's chili.

My Dad would wake up every morning at five and drive downtown to buy fresh vegetables, hot dogs, buns, and anything needed to serve people at his beloved restaurant, Arbetter's Hot Dogs.

It was his dream to open a hot dog stand ever since his father, Dr. Joseph Arbetter, used to take him after school in Saugus, Massachusetts, to watch the Boston Red Sox play at Fenway Park.  They would always stop at the venerable "Joe & Nemo's" hot dog stand right down the road from Fenway.

Established in 1909, Joe & Nemo's was almost as legendary as my Dad's favorite player, Ted Williams.  He loved the simplicity of the place.  He was amazed at how everyone seemed to know each other and how steam rose from the steam tables when they grabbed the soft, hot buns for the boiled dogs.

My Dad's favorite dog at Joe & Nemo's was the "All-Around." That hot dog was topped with fresh mustard, onion, and relish.  Back then, they would hide the relish under the dog.  Of course, years later, at Arbetter's in Miami, you could order it that way if you said, "Bob, gimme an All-Around Joe & Nemo's style."  So it's no surprise that my Dad's lifelong ambition was to run a successful hot dog restaurant.

Arbetter Hot Dogs was born from my parents' love of making people happy.  They loved to serve great, fresh food and loved people.
They always told us to work hard, be honest, and treat our customers like gold.  Those three principles are the foundation upon which Arbetter's was built.  This business has been in our family for over 65 proud years!

Arbetter's is all about family.  We are a family-run business.  We have my sister Jill, nephews Andrew and Casey, wife Patty, and sons Lil' Dave, Austin, and Charles.

Our extended family includes Celeste, Jeremy, Joe, Ernie, John, and Cousin Toltz.  Our plan remains to work hard, love our customers, and serve the freshest food.

We have had more offers to expand and franchise than I can count.   But needless to say, we will continue to operate our landmark Arbetter's to the best of our ability to remain the most incredible hot dog joint in the land!

With gratitude.

​-Dave Arbetter

​-Dave Arbetter