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Charlie’s Dirty Water Hot Dogs & More, a restaurant located on Dover Air Force Base, held its CDCC ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, June 25. The event was attended by several CDCC members as well as Air Force members, including the new Base Commander.

The store comes from humble beginnings as a hot dog cart in Millsboro. For 10 years, owner Charles Boehm had to introduce people to his hot dog concept and explain what “dirty water” is - a process by which the hot dogs release their juices into the water when cooking, and thereby making it look “dirty.” Boehm steadily grew a following from the local area, as well as visitors from New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia.

The cart made its way on base when other dining facilities were undergoing renovations. After a successful stint working in the parking lot of the Exchange, Boehm and his team (his wife, Ann and son, Charlie) were given the opportunity to open in one of the store fronts. Charlie’s Dirty Water Hot Dogs & More was born in 2016.
The establishment is a full-service restaurant cooking up hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches and homemade specials. The team also offers an open cockpit every third Saturday of the month at the Air Museum and delivers homemade soup to the volunteers at the Air Museum weekly. Catering for base events is also an option.

Although not from Central Delaware, Boehm and his family enjoy shopping, eating and sight-seeing in the area. As members of the Chamber, they are looking forward to becoming involved with programs and working with the community.

For the moment, Charlie’s Dirty Water Hot Dogs & More can only be enjoyed on Base. But, Boehm is interested in opening another location in downtown Dover. He says his plans for the future include, “continuing to serve the Military on DAFB and trying to expand into the Central Delaware area to provide another dining experience to the Community.”