RACINE - Earlier this year, Caleb Robinson couldn't park his hot dog cart without drawing the ire of one city department or another.

Top Dog Hot Dogs eventually got the city's blessing, and now it also has a year-round operation. Monday, Top Dog moved up from mobile hot dog cart to bricks-and-mortar restaurant, inside the food court at 520 Monument Square.

Checking his cash register tape Monday afternoon, Robinson said he served nearly 50 people during his first lunch hour - including Mayor John Dickert.

That was appropriate, because Dickert's push freed the roadblocks that Robinson, 25, was running into in his first weeks in business.

The young entrepreneur bought his sandwich cart for $6,000 after CNH Capital laid him off and started selling Downtown, mainly on Monument Square.

But in the early going he met with resistance from city officials, and it was puzzling where Robinson could legally sell. At one point it appeared that both Monument Square and the sidewalks around its perimeter were both off-limits to Top Dog unless he was in almost perpetual motion.

Ultimately, city officials ruled that because Monument Square is street right-of-way, Top Dog could sell on the sidewalks of Monument Square on the Main Street and Sixth Street sides.

But that becomes less and less attractive as winter approaches. Robinson said when he decided to move indoors, he chose the food court because, "It's almost the same location, and people are familiar with us."

The move extends not only Top Dog's season, but also the menu, beyond what a cart can offer. Top Dog has added Vienna hot dogs, a turkey dog, grilled-cheese sandwiches and a tofu/vegetarian hot dog.

Robinson is a full-time business student and senior at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and three of his four employees are also full-time students. He said he took just a one-year lease for now but would have a two-year extension option after that.

As for his hot dog cart, he said he'll bring it out next spring as a "satellite" Top Dog location.

Top Dog Hot Dogs is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday. For more information call (262) 637-7043.