A Roanoke hot dog stand cooked its last dog this week, more than a month after the state filed a lien for unpaid taxes against the business.

The Roanoke Weiner Stand on Brandon Avenue closed Wednesday, according to a sign posted on the front door of the weathered building with its bright blue roof. The restaurant's downtown Roanoke shop remains open.

The Brandon Avenue business owes $17,616.01 in unpaid taxes, according to a state tax lien filed April 16.

The two locations are listed as separate businesses through the State Corporation Commission. The Brandon Avenue shop was incorporated in 1984. The downtown stand dates to 1916.

Owner Gus Pappas could not be reached for comment about the reasons for the Brandon Avenue store's closing. His nephew, Gus Chacknes, who runs the downtown hot dog business, said Thursday that he would not discuss the reasons for the sudden shutdown.

Tax documents filed with Roanoke Circuit Court reveal that Roanoke Weiner Stand Brandon Ave. Inc. owes the state of Virginia unpaid litter taxes and taxes that it withheld from employee checks from 2005 to 2007.

The hot dog business also owes $809.11 to S.J. Conner & Sons, a local contractor, for work performed in 2007 and 2008, according to a court filing.

Meanwhile, shortly after noon Thursday, a steady stream of lunch diners turned their vehicles into the restaurant's small parking lot. They eyed the dark restaurant windows, studied the sign on the front door and drove away.

Steve Schroeder stopped his vehicle in front of the door and squinted at the sign from his window.

A contractor who lives in Bedford, he dines at the Weiner Stand once a week for lunch.

"What a shock," he said, after calling a friend on his cellphone to report the closing. "I knew something wasn't right."

Schroeder said his typical lunch at the restaurant includes three hot dogs piled with mustard, chili and onions.

"I think their chili is the best I've had," he said.

Though the sign on the eatery's door encourages customers to visit the downtown store, Schroeder said he probably won't be doing that. He chooses lunch spots based on proximity to his jobs.

The spot along the four-lane Brandon Avenue was the most convenient for him, rather than driving downtown, he said.