By Grace Galbreath
SEA ISLE – For Tim ‘Bubba’ McNamara, summer means long days at the beach. Those days, however, are not spent relaxing on beach chairs and swimming in the ocean, but on the beach block corner of Sea Isle City’s 59th street and Pleasure Avenue, where the sand meets the pavement.
Tim owns a Sea Isle staple, Bubba Dogs, and has been running the hotdog cart every summer for the last 22 years. The cart, originally located on 66th street, now stands proudly on 59th street. It is open every day from 11:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
The idea for Bubba Dogs was inspired by Lou Minchelli, former vendor of Lou’s Hotdogs. When Tim, a 20-year retired lieutenant commander in the naval reserve and twelve-year Sea Isle lifeguard decided it was time to hang up his whistle, he petitioned the city council for a vendor spot.
Tim has spent every summer in the town since he was 8 years old. In the off-season, he lives in Jenkintown, PA, and teaches personal finance and business classes at LaSalle College High School.
Although the town has changed since Tim’s childhood, he believes the people have remained the same. He said, “I have lived here ever since I was a little boy. Obviously, the town itself has changed. The homes and the businesses, lots of turnover. I think fundamentally, for the most part, the people themselves have remained very much the same. The values that they hold dear are very similar to mine. They love this town as much as I do. Really it is the relationships that I have made throughout the years that I love so much about it. Sea Isle has always had a special place in my heart.”
Bubba Dogs prioritizes freshness, and it shows in the long lines of visitors, beachgoers, and lifeguards that wait daily for the island’s famous dogs! Each fresh-baked bun is topped with a grilled dog and toppings galore.
Tim said, “Our rolls are freshly baked every single day, that is what people seem to love the most. We take a lot of pride in them; it all starts with the bread. I like to think they are the best around!”
The most popular of the hotdogs is the 59th Street (“The Dog that Made Us Famous”). A crowd favorite, it has melted cheddar cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, and crunchy potato sticks.
Tim also takes great pride in his employees. “The folks that I have working for me are typically teenagers. I guess it is the teacher in me where I try to impart some of the rules of the trade, the tricks, and the business fundamentals that I have learned over the course of the last 22 years. Being able to teach the guys that work for me the right way to treat others is important. You look them in the eye. If the opportunity presents itself, you shake their hand. You say please and thank you. All of these little things are so important,” he said.
After regular business hours, Bubba Dogs also offers catering. Born out of COVID-19, the catering has taken off. Tim said, “The bars and restaurants were closed — it’s hard to believe that today – and a lot of people were having house parties and driveway parties and outdoor parties. We took advantage of that and that’s how catering started. Now we still do it.”
Tim said the customers are the reason he loves what he does. Some of his most famous customers include Philadelphia Eagle’s star Jason Kelce.
He said, “I’ve met countless people, even professional athletes. Me being a Naval guy, one of my customers that turned into a friendship is an admiral who is currently the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet. From four-star admirals to professional athletes, to our regulars, I call them ‘the faces of summer.’ There are kids who started coming here when they were very young, about three years old, and now some of them are grown adults. That part is what I cherish.”
Stop by Bubba Dogs on Sea Isle’s 59th street to grab the perfect summer lunch: a hotdog and a bag of chips! Make sure you say hello to Bubba himself; you will certainly be greeted with a smile. Tell him Do the Shore sent you!