Atlanta police shut down Tasty Dog eatery

Atlanta police used to have food catered from the Tasty Dog restaurant in southwest Atlanta. On Wednesday, officers raided the hot dog stand, with code enforcers and health department officials in tow.

“The full might of the law came down on 1365 Joseph Boone Parkway today,” said Atlanta Police spokesman James Polite.

Five people were arrested, including the hot dog stand’s elderly owner, whose name was not disclosed. Four others were charged with possession of narcotics with the intent to distribute.

Alcohol was being sold without a permit, Polite said. And the restaurant had no hot water. The Health Department gave the Tasty Dog a rating of 41 today; a score of 95 is passing.

The Tasty Dog opened in 1971. According to a 2002 obituary of longtime owner Agnes Avery, Atlanta police sometimes catered food from the West End restaurant when Avery turned out soul food feasts.

Authorities have now shuttered the establishment, which Polite said had become a “nuisance to the community. It’s been that way for a long, long time.”