Robert Amar, who’s got quite the food-industry-friendly hit on his hands with the four-month-old Underdogs (132 S. 17th St.), is expanding his wiener reach into South Philly. By late August or early September, he’ll introduce a second location of his hot-dog/sausage restaurant at 1205 S. Ninth St., the long-vacant former home of O Sandwiches. “I’m really keen on being right next to Pat’s and Geno’s,” says Amar, who lives in South Philly. “As much as people like to frown on [them], I don’t know why — I think it’s great. They bring so many people to the city. They are landmark places.”

Underdogs Numero Dos will be around the same size as the original, with roughly 30 to 35 seats, but there will be some operational differences here — Amar wants to open early for breakfast, offering egg-topped sandwiches to augment his already-sizable selection. He’s still playing around with the idea of late-night hours for the new restaurant. He serves until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays in Center City, and could very well join the cheesesteak kings as a wee-hour option south of Washington.

Photo: Drew Lazor