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Joey Fatone about to open Fat One’s hot dog joint — at the mall where he used to hang out

Joey Fatone promoted Fat One's at the "Sausage Party" premiere in Westwood in August.
(Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images)
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Joey Fatone wants repeat customers — but not “repeating” customers — at his new venture, Fat One’s Hot Dogs and Italian Ice, which opens Saturday at the Orlando mall where he hung out when he was high-school age.

See, the ’NSync alum has been very hands-on in the development of the hot dog stand inspired by his boy-band rep as “the fat one” in the group, and that means he and his partners tasted hot dog after hot dog before choosing the ones that would go on the menu.

“It sounds kind of gross and funny,” he said Wednesday, recalling the hourslong effort. “We just tasted the hot dogs, no toppings, no nothing. We wanted to make sure it had the ‘no-repeat effect.’ You know, when you burp. Four hours later, you’re like, when the hell did I eat this hot dog?”

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Fatone’s involvement didn’t stop there. Not even close.

“Everything, from the tastings, to the logo, to the spot, to the build-out, to what we’re gonna have in there, the cups, the plates, anything and everything you could probably imagine, I’ve been pretty much getting my hands on,” he said. “Even down to the operations. ... I want to know about this stuff. I need to go behind the counter and kinda check things out.”

It’s interesting to see the reactions. It’s a nerve-wracking thing to watch people eat!

— Joey Fatone, describing the soft open of his new hot dog stand

Fatone’s business partners include two guys he’s known since childhood, one of whom is his manager, plus a woman with expertise in running mall restaurants. During the stand’s soft opening this week, leading up to the grand opening Saturday, he’s been at the Florida Mall every day, he said.

“It’s interesting to see the reactions,” Fatone said. “It’s a nerve-wracking thing to watch people eat! ... I say, you know what, if it sucks, tell me. I want honest opinions, please. I want to be able to change the menu accordingly.”

Fatone’s also been hitting the Comic-Con circuit and is surprised by the positive reception he’s getting as he signs autographs for hours with ’NSync buddy Chris Kirkpatrick.

The ’90s boy-band thing is hot now that fans are moms in their 30s with kids and families, he said.

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“Or you get the geeky husbands that want to go to these Comic-Cons, and there’s nothing for the women,” Fatone said, presumably excluding female fans of the “geeky” stuff. “But all of a sudden, she goes, ‘Wow, there’s Joey, or there’s A.J. [McLean] from Backstreet Boys or Chris Kirkpatrick from ’NSync. Well, crap, I want to go.’ ”

Even so, with a “never say never” attitude, he sees no ’NSync-reunion activity likely on the horizon beyond the guys’ recent get-together in L.A. for JC Chasez’s 40th birthday. For now, he’s focused on Fat One’s.

Despite the stand’s beefed-up name, Fatone wants to keep the business as lean as possible until the partners see if it sticks.

“Some celebrities, they do get into [the restaurant business], and they want to go-big-or-go-home kind of thing.” But it’s a numbers game, he said, and after running those numbers, the partners knew they wanted to start small and take it from there.

“You want it to succeed,” he said, “but God forbid it doesn’t, it’s not a big hole. You’re not losing so much.”

And about that repeating thing? Once you add toppings, maybe some onions? Well, Fatone said, in that case, all bets are off. Time to round up a Boybander — the menu item features five kinds of little hot dogs in five little buns — and see if it’s a hit.

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Follow Christie D’Zurilla on Twitter @theCDZ.

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