Scoop: Happy Trading Doughnuts For Dogs.

1. HOP TO IT: Katie Poppe and Micah Camden (Little Big Burger, Son of a Biscuit, Blue Star Donuts) have a new fast-food concept in the works. Hop Dog will serve beer-boiled hot dogs—hence the “hop”—with plans for classic beef dogs, Chicago dogs, a Greek lamb dog, and a chili dog on the menu. No lease has been signed, but they’re currently looking at a location in the West End across from Jake’s Famous Crawfish on Southwest 12th Avenue. >> Meanwhile, the owners of Splash Bar, a beach-themed dance club in the Pearl District, have applied for a liquor license to convert the location to a brewery and bar called Squealers Brewing, with pinball and karaoke.

1. ROE IT OVER: Yet another San Francisco tech company is on its way to Portland—although this one’s unlikely to cause any trouble with City Commissioner Steve Novick. Caviar, a restaurant-food delivery service, will begin operating in Portland as early as February. The company is advertising for a “courier growth associate” and “restaurant growth associate.” Judging from menus in Seattle and San Francisco, the company delivers meals from restaurants that don’t offer delivery for about a $1 to $2 premium on each dish.

1. BLAZER FOOD: The Trail Blazers’ organization somewhat routinely asks Blazers players questions we don’t really need the answers to, but this time it got interesting. What restaurants do the Blazers prefer? The most-favored restaurant among giant men is apparently Portland City Grill—it was the favorite of three Blazers—while Argentine meat house Ox got nods from Joel Freeland and Meyers Leonard. C.J. McCollum apparently made it out to Tasty n Sons. Our favorite answer, however, belonged to Robin Lopez, who immediately and smilingly said, “I love Papa Haydn.”

1. BUSY FOR THE INTERVIEW: Kim Jong-un may have helped the Hollywood Theatre log its best weekend ever. After Sony at first canceled and then allowed limited release of The Interview—the Seth Rogen-James Franco farce about assassinating the North Korean dictator—the Hollywood was among 331 independent theaters across the U.S. to snag the film. According to head programmer Dan Halsted, the 9:45 pm screening on Christmas Day was sold out, and the rest of the weekend showings were packed as well, with about 1,900 tickets sold over four days. “It was our busiest weekend on record,” Halsted says—though he adds that Wild, based on Portlander Cheryl Strayed’s memoir about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, slightly outgrossed The Interview. Living Room Theaters also showed The Interview, selling out all screenings Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Nationwide, The Interview made about $3 million at the box office—and $15 million online.

WWeek 2015