Welcoming Dizzy Dog to the neighborhood

By Betty Westra

Located around the corner from Palmer School and down the street from the new City High, Dizzy Dog is a new enterprise with something different.

Opened on April 27 of this year by Ross Rockwell, this “family friendly restaurant” is an inviting addition to the neighborhood. Festooned with floral hanging baskets and a cheerful yellow ceiling it invites neighbors to come, sit at a picnic table and enjoy a cold drink, ice cream confection or a meal and conversation.

Rockwell grew up in this neighborhood, went to Creston High, caddied at the Kent Country Club and enjoyed ice cream treats at what was then Frosty Boy. He gained cooking expertise when he cooked at many of the Polish Halls in the area.

Dizzy Dog has a large menu of selections from corn dogs, ice cream, sundaes, floats, malts, flurries, hot dogs and chicken to calamari.

Dizzy Dog does a brisk business, especially from neighbors who love to come with their families, bringing strollers and dogs with them. Since the business is family friendly they get lots of repeat customers and will customize an order to fit the customer’s desires. Reasonable prices that help bring people in are from $1.39 for an ice cream cone to $6 for calamari.

Dizzy Dog’s hours are from Mon.-Fri 11:30-10 p.m., Sat. 12-10 p.m. and Sun. 2-8 p.m., but they may close early if there are few customers or bad weather threatens.

Rockwell says they will stay open as long in the fall and winter as he can. He plans to offer fresh baked goods, homemade cookies, donuts, cider and some dinner specials in the fall. The menu will change with the seasons. He would like to enclose the porch and add a heater so customers can dine there in chilly weather.

Rockwell will also work with students from City High who will paint a mural on the wall on one side of the parking lot. The students, with the cooperation of the City High art teacher, will paint American icons such as a strip of the Pacific Ocean to the New York skyline and the Liberty Bell. He will certainly include the Great Lakes and scenes representing Grand Rapids and Detroit. Rockwell intends to place a six foot statue of Liberty at the end of the wall.

He welcomes students from City High to lunch at Dizzy Dog and intends to make menus and run specials for students. Hopefully the rest of us will come to visit the restaurant as well.