An icon in his own right and a consistent presence in an otherwise rapidly changing city, Watkins knows the names of countless people who frequent downtown — as well as their orders, a trait that has won him a parade of regulars who come as much for the dogs as the comradery.
“Oh, yeah, that guy, he always gets an Italian sausage,” Watkins says, pointing to someone coming down the street before throwing a sausage on the grill — he knows his customers usually stop by on their breaks, so he likes to have their orders ready.
"It's nice coming out here to chat. It's the old reliable. He's always here and always friendly," says Katie, a longtime fan of Diamond Dawgs who works nearby and frequents the cart.
Stealing Home
Watkins discovered his passion for vending as a child. His uncle owned a Coney Island stand in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, and although he was too young to work there, Watkins recalls falling in love with the business. “I just thought it was so freakin' cool. It was so fun,” he says.
In the early ’80s, Watkins secured a finance job in Denver, which brought him to the Mile High. He hated the gig, though, and spent his first few months in town without a home. Soon, he took a new position at Jones Intercable, a job he kept well into the ’90s.
Not long after starting at Jones, he launched his cart as a hobby. "I just thought it would be a blast. I figured I would do it for one year but I ended up working both jobs for six seasons," Watkins recalls.
After dabbling in real estate and making some smart rental property investments, he decided to make the cart his full-time gig — and he hasn't slowed down since. During the off-season, Watkins has set up shop on the same corner outside the USPS on 20th and Curtis streets for the last 25 years, serving lunch until around 2 p.m. every day.
While other downtown businesses have cited the homeless population as a challenge, Watkins says he's only experienced one incident over three decades. "There used to be about 240 homeless people camped around the post office here, but as long as they saved room for the cart, it didn't bother me," he says. "We didn't have a single problem." Watkins often hands out any extra sausages he has at the end of the day to members of the local homeless population, and says he sometimes calls the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless if he hasn’t seen a familiar face in a while, just to make sure they’re okay.
Building community has always been important to Watkins. Most of his customers are USPS employees, construction workers, parking attendants, city staffers and other regulars. Even former Rockies player Todd Helton used to grab a dog every Sunday. They all greet him with a smile and honest conversation, like a friendly neighbor on a sitcom — a behavior Watkins reciprocates by knowing personal details about each person who visits.
“We all love Joyl. A mutual friend of ours got married and they asked for the cart to be there, so after the wedding, we were all outside eating hot dogs,” says Diane Summers, who had been a fan for eight years.
“This is my hangout cart,” adds USPS employee Lele Huckleby. “I come every day. Even if I don’t eat a hot dog, I come out to talk to Joyl.”
Nearby parking attendant Kim Dickey does the same. “Sure, the dogs are good,” she says. “But I come for Joyl.”
Bases Loaded
A mainstay for those looking for a quick but filling meal at an affordable price, the Diamond Dawgs menu includes hot links, jumbo dogs and spicy Italians, plus a couple of combo deals that include chips and a soda. The regular dogs are his biggest seller, but Watkins says that the hot links and brats, which he cooks in beer, are popular as well. But not everything has been a success. The barbecue sandwiches and vegetarian options he's tried didn't take off, he admits, though he's considering bringing back a vegetarian option this summer due to popular demand. He also used to do burgers, but they were just too greasy.In addition to customer service, affordability is key to Watkins's longevity — though he has had to raise prices in recent years. "They were $1.50 forever until 2019, I had to raise them to $2," he notes. "Then, during the pandemic, I tried $2.50, but it was too hard; I had to go up to $3. … I try and do the best I can and keep everything affordable."
The cost of other items has increased, too. "Peanuts are what inflation has hit the hardest. I used to get them from Creager here in Denver, but now I have to order them from Hampton Farms. They charge more for shipping than they do their peanuts,” Watkins says.
Diamond Dawgs originally got its sausages from the Goldstar location in RiNo until that closed in 2015. Watkins followed the Goldstar manager to his next job at Temptee Specialty Foods. Both the dogs and brats are 100 percent beef.
"The hot links are real good. I like Joyl and I like supporting him," shares Darrell, a local Kiewit employee.
“All the old guys that used to vend around here and on 16th Street are gone now. Joyl is a good guy, always good conversation,” says cart regular Tony Medina.
“Where else could you eat for eight bucks? Quick, convenient, it’ll fill you up — you can't beat it,” adds Matt, a city employee who says he has eaten at the cart thirty times in the past eight months.
Play Ball!
During baseball season, Watkins relocates Diamond Dawgs closer to Coors Field. Though this is the cart’s thirtieth Rockies season, it is its tenth on the corner of 19th and Wynkoop — a hot spot for vendor permits. "I'm very fortunate," Watkins notes. "I used to be two blocks up until this permit opened up."
This year, Watkins's permit cost $550 — up from $340 in 2020 — and just like any other eatery, the Diamond Dawgs cart has to pass fire and health inspections in order to operate. All vending carts need to be at least two blocks away from the ballpark, a metric he has down to the inch.
On opening day, Diamond Dawgs typically sells a whopping 800 dogs. Watkins buys around 600 pounds of hot dogs a week during the regular season, and says he sells out every game by the fifth inning. He gets about eight dogs to a pound, which he insists are significantly bigger than popular brands like Vienna Beef, which are twelve to a pound.
The cart's busiest days are when the Red Sox or the Cubs are in town, and the busiest season he recalls is 2007, during the Rockies vs. Red Sox World Series. "We got swept, and it was like zero degrees out, but I had a long line of people," he remembers.
His worst season, of course, was 2020, when fans weren't allowed to attend games. "I stayed close to McGregor Square during that time, which was still under construction. That kept me afloat," Watkins says. "I did have a cardboard cut-out inside the stadium though, which was cool."
Swinging for the Fences
Though downtown is still struggling to come back after COVID, Watkins says his sales have grown every year since 2020. "I think downtown is totally safe," he notes. "There's been many changes. Union Station is a lot safer. I never know what to expect — there are totally different people coming back down."
Though Diamond Dawgs is mostly a one-man operation, Watkins has had help from time to time, including his former employee of eight years, Dan Carlin. "Everyone always thought he was my son," Watkins says with a laugh. "He worked here throughout high school and college, but after the uncertainty of COVID, he took a job in New York City." Now Watkins primarily relies on Hector Lobo, a friend who is a parking attendant nearby.
Even as a mostly solo operator, Watkins has only missed four games in three decades. But after that impressive run, retirement is indeed on the horizon. "I think about it," he admits. "Mostly during the middle of summer when it's so hot, but I go back and forth. I'm just so passionate about it. I have made some really great friends over the years. They're just friendly. Everyone's different, it keeps it interesting. No two days are the same.”
Several people have inquired about purchasing the cart and picking up the tongs in his place, Watkins says; he hopes to keep it in the Diamond Dawgs family by selling to Carlin, his former protégé, who has since opened his own hot dog cart in New York.
For those interested in starting a similar venture or any other small business downtown, Watkins advises listening to the community. “Keep your head up, it's rough," he warns. "There are a lot of ups and downs, but you can always work through it. Ask for help. Customers taught me how to run it. They taught me everything.”
Right now, his focus is on the upcoming season. Although Watkins is a lifelong Cardinals fan, the opening home game of the Colorado Rockies always marks the official start of spring for him. Seeing the return of the crowds, including many familiar faces who've stopped by since they were kids and now have kids of their own, makes it all worth it.
"I really appreciate everybody coming down and supporting the cart throughout the years,” Watkins concludes. “I love Denver and the community. If I didn’t have the community, I probably wouldn’t still be here.”
