Jayson Edwards
Jayson Edwards is the founder and owner of JDawgs, a Provo, Utah-based hot dog establishment. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Edwards was attending Brigham Young University, walking home from campus one day when he realized he missed the good hot dogs he had enjoyed in Toronto, Canada, while serving a full-time mission. He spotted a 12’x12’ old red shack south of the BYU campus and thought that would make a great location for a hot-dog stand.
He pawned a Fender Telecaster guitar to buy the shack in 2004 and ran the business himself, until college became too demanding. After he married, his wife, Heidi, ran it while he finished his degree. He graduated in 2006 in Asian Studies. That year he won the Marriott School’s Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
The business grew and Edwards moved JDawgs to the building less than 50 feet away. The shack still stands as of a reminder of where he started, and he rents it out occasionally.
His menu is simple: beef or polish dawns, toppings, chips, and soda. JDawgs has a signature sauce, which Edwards evolved from a recipe his grandmother clipped from an Iowa newspaper long ago. He has plans to market the sauce.
JDawgs has expanded to four locations in Utah County. Edwards plans to expand to Salt Lake City. JDawgs also caters to businesses and events. Edwards plans to keep the business local and focus on making his customers happy.
Edwards and his wife and three children live in Provo, Utah.
