Every school day starting at about 10 a.m., Walter Washington stands on Jackson Street between his cart and his cooler full of soda, smiling, chatting and selling hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, sausages, a plethora of portable edibles.
On weekends and game days Washington can be found downtown, smiling at Bulldog fans. Since 2006, Washington and his wife have owned and operated Lafonda Dawgs, one the few places where students can score a cheap and easy lunch between classes.

How did you get started?
I was working with the University at East Campus Village for two years, and found out I had a hole in my lung. I had to stop work there. I actually retired. So now I get to do this for fun.

So, why a hotdog stand?
It was the only thing my wife was going to let me do. She’s Puerto Rican/Cuban, that’s where “Lafonda” comes from, and she wanted to do burritos, black beans and rice with chopped beef, pork or chicken in it. That’s what she wanted to do.
But the food had to be approved by the health department and they said, “Oh no, you can’t have that.” But they said, “As long as it comes off the grill you can have it.”
That’s how we got started. Had the cart built in Miami, and I added the grill when it got here.

What’s your specialty?
All of it’s good. But customers like either the sausage or the chicken – but it’s all good, no bad choices, including the veggies.
Veggie burgers, veggie sausage, they’re good too.

Where did you learn to cook?
The old Shoney’s, that’s where I learned. My sister was working there, I got to be a dish washer there after school.
And I found out a cook made $4 more then I did so I said, “I wanna learn to cook.”

Do you have a lot of regulars?
Yeah, a lot of people who eat every week, which is a good thing. Some students eat once or twice a week during their freshman year before they move over to the East Campus and they find out I’m not over there.
Might be two or three years before they can make it back. They might see me downtown sometime, over in front of the courthouse on Washington Street. I like working downtown, I like high-spirited people.