At 2:45 p.m. at the steamy end of a summer workweek, Gretchen Peters was still busy. It was 15 minutes before she closed for the day, but the working people on Main Street were still hungry for hot dogs.

Peters has been running Puppy Love Hot Dogs for more than 20 years now and the business has been in the family for 46. Since taking over for her parents, Peters has upgraded a few things — she accepts credit cards now, and has a sleek stainless steel service station — but she keeps the fundamentals the same. Her hot dog stand still runs out of the back of a flaming red pickup truck under a striped red and yellow umbrella, and her ingredients come from the same vendors they always have.

“I only have certain products, so I make sure they’re high quality,” she said. At Puppy Love, guests pay $4 for a hot dog, which they can adorn with any of the following toppings: Ketchup, mustard, relish, onion, sriracha, chili, cheese and sauerkraut.

Hot dog regulars tend to be consistent. They like their dogs a certain way and they stick with it. Peters keeps track.

“Gretchen always remembers what I want,” said Charlie Wellman, one of those regulars. He has been ordering his hot dogs with chili, mustard and onion for 15 years now. “I’m an old man,” he said. “A creature of habit.”

Wellman likes the hot dogs, and he likes that his lunch only costs him a few dollars. What sets Puppy Love apart, though, are the relationships that Peters has built with Concord locals in her two decades selling dogs.

“The key to our longevity is we have really great customers,” Peters said. “I’m meeting generations of families.”

“It’s a great hot dog,” she added, “but you also stop by for conversation.”

Sometimes her customers let out frustrations or vent about a bad day while Peters builds their orders — she called this “hot dog therapy.”

Annika Holden, down the street from Puppy Love, said she also enjoys the community aspect of selling hot dogs. At Annika’s Hot Dogs, she gets to “see all different kinds of people,” from casual passersby to Gov. Chris Sununu, who orders his hot dog with mustard only.

Holden’s hot dog stand, which lives in the shaded exterior of her father’s “Hair Biz” salon at 4 North Main Street, is a much newer spot. Holden opened the stand with her dad four years ago, taking a different approach by offering mac ‘n’ cheese dogs, pulled pork dogs and vegan hot dogs, too. Her best-sellers, though, are regular hot dogs, because nothing beats a classic.

Holden serves her dogs in style: She sports a Bass Pro Shops baseball cap and a black apron with her name emblazoned on it in sparkly pink lettering. When he’s free, David Holden, Annika’s dad, helps her out — they’re a classic father-daughter duo.

Puppy Love, of course, is a family business, too. Peters grew up working her parents’ hot dog stands in the summers before realizing she wanted to pursue it as a career. The advantage of all that experience is twofold: Peters makes hot dogs like a machine and she can withstand the heat. After more than two decades at her hot dog stand, Peters has adjusted to the muggy summer air. Being on the street means easier access for guests, as well as default advertising. Plus, she loves being able to work outside.

Two stands within 500 feet of each other downtown signify that hot dogs aren’t going out of style in Concord. They’re relatively cheap — though $4 a dog falls on the more expensive end — as well as personally customizable and quick to eat in the midst of a busy day. Hot dogs, as Peters said, are “comfort food.” And comfort never goes out of style.