Meet Nicholas Hyche | Owner/Operator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicholas Hyche and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I was born and raised into a military family. Both my mother and father were in the US Air Force. Because of this, I had the opportunity to live in some pretty cool places that standard Americans would only think about visiting. I was born in San Antonio Texas, only there long enough to move out to Crete Greece. Moved back to San Angelo Texas for a spell, then moved to Ohio before heading to Frankfurt Germany for four years. There, we lived off base in a town called Dietzenbach. There is where I fell in love with German food. Every corner store offered sausages with frittes and a nice, crusty bread roll. This immersion into German culture stuck with me all the way through the years as we moved to Phoenix. After growing up, and getting in the culinary world, I worked with all sorts of various cuisines until I opened up my own business, Der Wurst Hot Dogs, first as a food cart, and now as brick and mortar. The menu and offerings are a nod to my past and love I have for homestyle German food.

What should our readers know about your business?
Der Wurst Hot Dogs is a fun and quirky hot dog joint that is located within another small business, The Linger Longer Lounge in uptown Phoenix. Der Wurst Hot Dogs utilizes only locally made hot dogs, sausages from our friends at Schreiner’s Fine Sausages. We wrap our hot dogs in locally baked pretzel buns. All of our toppings, whether it be traditional flavors or the more interesting ones, are all made from scratch. To make sure we have something for everyone, our menu also features Bavarian pretzels, schnitzel style chicken fingers, charcuterie boards and even desserts. We wouldn’t be able to offer our amazing food without the support of the owners/operators of the Linger Longer Lounge. Jade, Manny and Cal invited me into their business with open arms and this symbiotic relationship has helped us both be better and understanding small businesses, especially during the struggles of Covid.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
-Night 1: grab some beers at The Shop Beer Company in Tempe out on their patio before going to The Cornish Pasty down the street for some dinner.

Day 2: Grab some brunch at Snooze, hangout. Take my 2 dogs on a nice winding walk somewhere within South Mountain Park, show off the views from lookout point.
Grab some steaks from The Meat Shop in south Phoenix and grill at the house.

Day 3: Lunch at JL’s BBQ. Gonna need a nap after that goodness. Head over to Yucca Tap Room for some pints and laughter.

Day 4: Make our way down Indian School. Stops at Helton Brewing, The Wandering Tortoise, lunch at The Stand Burgers and night cap at Tombstone Brewing.

Day 5: Stroll down Roosevelt Row. Hit up Carly’s, AZ Wilderness, The Theodore and the smaller shops.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have two people who I credit my success to: My wife, Stephanie, who supported me from the very, very beginning when running my own business was nothing more than chatter. She was the one who threw in her support that gave me the push to dive into the unknown. With her in my corner, I’ve never felt afraid and never looked back.

Second, my mentor and former manager, Mr. J. Green. He sought me out for a position on his team when I was looking for the next big career move. After seeing that we were a match in our common goals and management style, he nurtured me and counseled me for 5 years, allowing me to spread my wings as a chef and put my mark on the entire food and beverage department of our hotel property. Without his appreciation, respect and approach, my true potential might have never been uncovered.

Website: Derwursthotdogs.com

Instagram: Der_wurst_hot_dogs

Facebook: Facebook.com/derwursthotdogs

Image Credits
Nadya Sanchez