by Abigail Luftig

Created on: March 04, 2009   Last Updated: July 31, 2010

If you've been around downtown Harrisburg around lunchtime over the past five years, chances are you've come across one of Rich Banas' hot dog stands aptly called Let's Do Lunch. With the hot dog stands being well-known, when the chance arose to buy and own a pizza shop, Banas jumped at the opportunity to expand the business. He bought the shop because "it seemed like the next logical step. I'd been doing the carts for 5 years. I've been running in downtown Harrisburg since 2004."

The continuation of the hot dog stand business is what makes Let's Do Lunch Pizza & American Grille different from the plethora of pizza joints in the area. "I have a lot of customers who work downtown but live out here so they know they can get the same hot dogs here as they can at the stands." And if you're looking for more sustenance, LDL also offers lb burgers, regular & white pizza, salads, strombolis and hot and cold subs. There is also the chance to enjoy sundaes, milkshakes and cones made with 16 flavors of Hershey's ice cream at the inclusive I Scream, U Scream! ice cream parlor. But it's not just the food that makes LDL special, it's the commitment level of the owners. "I think we're different because every time you walk in here, you're going to be dealing with one of the owners, you're not going to be dealing with an employee. And we take any suggestion people give us, whether they're good or bad. Hopefully, they're good!"

With so many options to choose from, what should a first-timer dine on at Let's Do Lunch? Banas has an opinion on that, cholesterol levels be damned. My personal favorite is the Italian Hot Dog. It's two all-beef hot dogs that are deep fried with a potato quartered and an onion quartered served in half of a homemade roll with ketchup and mustard. The hot dogs, the potato and the onion are all deep fried. All the rolls used at Let's Do Lunch are made on the premises and they're not just for meals at the shop. The shop sells its rolls for $1 each or 6 for $5.

Let's Do Lunch has a classic and somewhat whimsical feel to it, with the pizza oven in the wide dining area, the bright red counter, the black and white tiled floors and the old-school arcade games. Banas plans to expand on both these vibes by bringing more entertainment options to offer more whimsy and wants to redo the parking lot to include a drive-up service. "We want to do miniature golf. We also want to do an arcade. And next summer we're going to change the parking lot a bit so we have like drive-in service. I would like the servers to wear roller skates like in the 50's but I don't think my liability insurance will cover that!" 

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