Cuban Should Turn Original Hot Dog Shop Vegan: PETA

PITTSBURGH, PA — If Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is successful in purchasing the famed Original Hot Dog Shop, he should stop serving hot dogs made of meat and go vegan. That suggestion came from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in a letter to the Mt. Lebanon native.

Cuban said on a talk show last week that he remains in negotiations to buy the legendary eatery, an Oakland staple for decades before its unexpected closure last month. If he closes the deal, PETA believes that Cuban, a vegetarian, could make the "Dirty O' a successful vegan restaurant.

"As a vegetarian and an investor in multiple vegan brands on 'Shark Tank,' you already know that vegan eating is delicious and healthy, saves animals, and is the single best way to fight climate change," PETA vice president Matt Kilbourne wrote in the letter.

"Of course, it also makes great business sense. Since COVID-19 originated in a live-animal market (as SARS and H5N1 bird flu had earlier), more people have become aware of similar conditions on factory farms and in slaughterhouses in the U.S., where extreme cruelty and crowding create a
breeding ground for pathogens that can be transmitted from other species to humans."

Cuban could not immediately b e reached for comment on the letter.

Founded by Syd and Moe Simon, the restaurant opened across the street from Forbes Field during the Pittsburgh Pirates 1960 World Series Championship season. Over the years, the two-story eatery was featured on various TV programs such as The Food Network's "Unwrapped," the PBS
special "A Hot Dog Program" and others.

Moe Simon died April 9. It's unclear if his death had anything to do with the closure.