Linda Murphy Lifestyle Editor @HNFastFood

FALL RIVER – One step in Faneek’s, and it’s obvious there’s some family history at the South End hot dog joint.

Photos lining the walls of the owners over the years run along the lines of “that’s my grandparents, my uncle, my parents...” And now, Chris Carpenter and his wife, Liz, took over the family business this fall.

As with every generation of the family, they’ve added their own touches to the restaurant – new flooring, paint, and menu items that appeal to a new generation of diners such as nachos, chili cheese fries and for nostalgia, a good, old-fashioned sloppy joe sandwich. And then there’s The Rolle, a wonton-wrapped deep fried concoction they created filled with savory offerings (meatballs and cheese; chourico and cheese; cheeseburger; and hot dog with Coney sauce, mustard and onions) or sweet -- The Cheesecake Rolle, a warm cheesecake topped with cherry or blueberry pie fillings.

Carpenter is equally mindful of keeping the items that made them a hit with customers over the years: Coney Island hot dogs, hamburgers, chow mein sandwiches and chourico rolls. Of course, it all starts with the hot dogs cooked on a flat-top grill – Faneek’s original grill, and likely the only one of its kind in the city, said Carpenter. Another staple is the meaty, chili-accented Coney Island sauce topping the hot dogs. The recipe, created by the original owner, is a closely guarded secret that’s kept “under lock and key,” said Carpenter. And to top it off, chopped onions, but even the onions have a twist. They’re cut, drained, chopped in a Hobart machine and drained again. “They’re light, and they have a crunchy consistency,” said Carpenter.

In the early days, there was no fryer, and the dogs, burgers and sandwiches were available with a side of chips, Wauchusett brand, to be exact. Though they have a fryer today, Carpenter went out of his way to find a Wauchusett chip supplier to keep things consistent for the long-time regulars who prefer chips, he said.

And that other Southern Massachusetts staple on the menu — coffee milk — comes fresh from Arruda’s Dairy in Tiverton. “You can’t get a chourico roll without a coffee milk,” said Carpenter. “It’s just not the same.”

About 10 years ago, they added fried seafood to the menu (available only on Fridays) with an array of choices including fish and chips; fried scallops; fried clams; and combo plates.

Faneek’s all started with someone outside the family, Antoine Fernandes, who was nicknamed “Faneek.”

Fernandes operated Faneek’s Lodge on Stafford Road, before the land was taken over for the new Route 24 highway. He then opened Faneek’s at 269 Rhode Island Ave. in 1966, cleverly installing the flat-topped grill right up front, next to the windows so passersby would be lured in by the aroma of the hot dogs cooking, said Carpenter. The flat grill is still a part of the cooking at Faneek’s, but now it’s in the back of the shop, in the area that became the kitchen over time.

Carpenter’s grandfather, Al Ploude, was a salesman for Essem hot dogs and his route took him into Faneek’s. For several years, he told Fernandes he wanted buy the place when he retired. In 1979, Ploude finally got his wish, but it came with a caveat. Fernandes, who was living in the back of the hot dog shop, would continue to live there for five or six years until they paid off the loan.

As a kid, Carpenter recalled seeing Fernandes walking out of his “apartment” in the back and straight into the kitchen, where he’d help himself to a hot dog or a soda. “He also had a problem with one of his eyes, and he used to use a piece of tape on his face to keep his eye open,” Carpenter said.

Back then, the walls were paneling and the windows on the southern side of the restaurant didn’t exist. When Al Ploude and his wife, Alice, took over in 1979, the family-friendly environment continued. Hours before he opened for lunch, Ploude would make a pot of coffee and six or seven regulars would stop in for a “Joe Cup” before heading out for their workday.

Dave Ploude, their son (and Carpenter’s uncle) bought the business in 1993 and ran it up until 2001, when he decided to sell it to his sister, Marge (Ploude) Carpenter and her husband, Bob Carpenter, who ran it up until last fall when their son, Chris bought the family business.

With his uncle Dave still working alongside him in the kitchen, Carpenter recalled the early days, back when he was a kid of 11 or 12 working at his first job, “swabbing decks and washing dishes.”

After high school and college, he went into retail management for 20 years before coming back to the family business full time. “I tell people I’ve been slaving in this kitchen since I was a kid,” he joked.

Faneek’s is located at 269 Rhode Island Ave. For more information and a full menu, visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/faneeks.

Email Linda Murphy at lmurphy@heraldnews.com.