# Why didn't hot dogs catch on like hamburgers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447 "2020-02-24T18:47:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/21 "2020-02-24T20:11:36Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > I’ve been to plenty of cookouts with neither and a huge number with hamburgers but not hot dogs, breaking out the grill just to cook a few burgers is vastly more common that doing so for just hot dogs or for both in my experience… Huh. Not my experience. I’ve been to outdoor meals that served neither burgers nor dogs, but I can’t recall ever being at a cookout with burgers that didn’t have some sort of grilled sausage (usually including plain hot dogs) as an option. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/22 "2020-02-24T20:13:29Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > That’s true also. Where I live I can think of 6 places within a 5 minute drive to get hot dogs. I guess Chicago is a bit of an outlier perhaps. I can think of at least six places within a 10 minute drive of me (5 minutes is too short of a distance to really get a good sample) to get hot dogs, but there are at least four dozen places that serve hamburgers in the same circle, and I’m probably underestimating that number. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/23 "2020-02-24T20:18:20Z")
I will say, though, that if I go to a generic sort of restaurant, like a hotel bar, or a diner, I expect there to be a burger on the menu. Hot dogs are less common. Not rare, but not ubiquitous like hamburgers. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/24 "2020-02-24T20:21:41Z")
Plus, you can put ketchup on a hamburger.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/25 "2020-02-24T20:28:35Z")
I’m as big a carnivore as they come, and even I have to think about baseball to avoid thinking about how they’re made and getting a little sick. I can only eat the all-beef ones too. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/26 "2020-02-24T20:28:40Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > 1. People in general view hot dogs as low quality meat, whether it’s true or not. [Some hot dog makers answer to a higher authority](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvsthRP1pjs). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/27 "2020-02-24T20:29:49Z")
The issue is that fast food places were all hamburger places. McDonald’s did not sell hot dogs, nor did any other chain. There were hot dog stands, but they were not marketed or franchised until after McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and many other burger places caught on. People got used to getting a burger for fast food. Hot dogs remained a niche restaurant with no national chains. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/28 "2020-02-24T20:30:09Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Plus, you can put ketchup on a hamburger.🙂 Not at [Louis’ Lunch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis%27_Lunch), which claims to be the restaurant that invented the American hamburger (although there are other who also make that claim). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/29 "2020-02-24T20:34:06Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > 1. People in general view hot dogs as low quality meat, whether it’s true or not. My hot dog story: When I was in business school, at the University of Wisconsin, taking a market research class, we had a guest lecturer: the director of market research at Oscar Mayer (which, at that time, was based in Madison). He took us through all sorts of research techniques that they used, and we got to see the original concepts for Lunchables, which had just been introduced. At the end of his lecture, he asked if there were any questions. My friend asked, “So, what do you really put in the hot dogs?” His answer was, I swear: “Oh, good stuff…stuff you’d eat…meat.” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/30 "2020-02-24T20:36:45Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > My Brazilian pal said that hot dog places are the big thing all over in Brazil, with mounds of toppings to choose from. He was amazed when I made him a burger; he thought they must be highly complicated to make as they’re so rare there. That’s interesting since beef is such a big thing in Brazil (according to a quick search they are the world’s leading exporter of beef). I wonder if it’s frowned upon to turn their delicious meats into ground beef? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/31 "2020-02-24T20:36:57Z")
I would posit a couple of reasons. The perception that hot dogs are lower quality, highly processed meat is mostly true, even though of course crappy burgers exist. Many common brands of hot dogs make me feel vaguely ill, and there are only a few premium brands that I trust. The contents of a lot of hot dogs are in the category of “you don’t want to know”! But I think a much bigger reason – and some have already alluded to it – is that the basic size and shape of a burger – especially one of the larger ones – allows a wide variety of toppings, sometimes quite elaborate ones. You rarely hear about “gourmet hot dogs”, but lots of places claim gourmet burgers, and some actually live up to the name. Plus of course the patty itself can be made out of pure high quality ground beef and not much else. So in my lexicon, hot dog = casual snack, while burger = potentially the main part of a filling, delicious meal. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/32 "2020-02-24T20:37:25Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Hamburgers saw an uptick in credibility at some point in recent history, and that hasn’t happened to hot dogs (yet). It’s also worth considering that, of the few common varieties of both, hamburgers might combine with other ingredientes (basically bacon and cheese) in ways that are more appealing to most people. I think a good Chicago style dog is a work of art but maybe it’s not for everyone. Wieners definitely have an ick factor for a lot of people (ETA: as indicated above) Ill take bacon and queso on my hot dog, please. Both are great. Hotdogs are perhaps easier to prepare as you can throw em in the microwave. Hamburgers are more easily customized with other ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/33 "2020-02-24T20:41:56Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The issue is that fast food places were all hamburger places. McDonald’s did not sell hot dogs, nor did any other chain. Not 100% true. When I was a little kid (this would have been the late 1960s or very early 1970s), I didn’t like hamburgers, but I did like hot dogs (plain, of course, because I was a fussy child). There was a Burger King near our house (in Downers Grove, IL), where we would occasionally go for a meal, and I’d get a hot dog. Then, one day, we went to Burger King, my parents ordered a hot dog for me, and the manager had to inform us that they didn’t have hot dogs anymore. Apparently, my parents convinced me that a hamburger wouldn’t kill me, and I must have liked it, since I became a fan of hamburgers soon after. Now, I don’t know if Burger Kings generally offered hot dogs back then, or not, but a Google Image search did find me a few pictures of old BK menus that feature hot dogs: [![](https://list.lisimg.com/image/15060015/720full.jpg) ](https://list.lisimg.com/image/15060015/720full.jpg) [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/49/5f/72/495f72f3d9a894c9780268e8ac0b9d79.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/49/5f/72/495f72f3d9a894c9780268e8ac0b9d79.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/34 "2020-02-24T20:42:04Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Plus, you can put ketchup on a hamburger.🙂 Ketchup is the work of the devil. I know this isnt a popular opinion but it cant stand up to salsas and I dislike the added sugar (same with peanut butter). ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/35 "2020-02-24T20:44:09Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The issue is that fast food places were all hamburger places. McDonald’s did not sell hot dogs, nor did any other chain. There were hot dog stands, but they were not marketed or franchised until after McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and many other burger places caught on. > > People got used to getting a burger for fast food. Hot dogs remained a niche restaurant with no national chains. [Der] Weinerschnitzel isnt a national chain? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/36 "2020-02-24T20:47:33Z")
Hamburgers are probably MUCH easier to produce on a mass scale than hot dogs - the only ingredient is beef. Slaughter, grind, mold and ship out to franchisees everywhere. Hot dogs require flavorings and processing that make it much more expensive/complicated to do on a mass scale. I’m not saying it’s impossible, that’s obviously not true - I’m saying that hamburgers are the path of least resistance in that arena. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/37 "2020-02-24T20:49:50Z")
> [@Airbeck](#): > > I also am a SW side of Chicago resident, of my whole life actually, and I do see hotdog carts sometimes. Not just at random corners, no, but both Fat Tommy’s and Fat Johnny’s have carts that can be hired for parties/events. Although I think Fat Johnny (senior) just passed, so they may have retired that. I’ve also seen hot dog carts at Kennedy and Beverly parks during little league and softball season. So they exist, but not just randomly rolling down the sidewalk or anything like that. Yeah, the regulations in Chicago have been pretty strict and financially onerous for hot dog push carts. There were laws passed in 2017 to make it a bit easier, from what I’ve read, but the few push carts I remember from my childhood in the 80s and 90s were from, as far as I know, illegal vendors. [This cite says they were illegal until 2015](https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20170222/humboldt-park/food-carts-licensing-price-cut-city-council-vote/), but does not give a starting date. Chicago Parks seems to have [a different set of requirements.](http://www.parkconcessions.com/faqs.html) I personally would not be surprised, though, if local law enforcement turns a blind eye to non-compliant vendors. That said, I just don’t see them around. I vaguely remember one outside a bar on 55th and one of the K-streets here back in the 2000s, but that was a non-mobile stand and it didn’t last for too long. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/38 "2020-02-24T20:53:42Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, with burgers you’re starting for the most part with raw ingredients, so you don’t have the markup of buying a premade hot dog I agree. A restaurant can buy ground beef and make its hamburgers in house. But they would have to buy hot dogs pre-made from a supplier. So there’s more profit in selling hamburgers. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/39 "2020-02-24T20:58:14Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > [Der] Weinerschnitzel isnt a national chain? No: > [@](#): > > Wienerschnitzel serving Hot Dog, Chili Cheese-Burgers, Corn Dogs, Chili, Tastee-Freez, and Breakfast. More than 320 quick-serve restaurants in 11 states. Neither is Sonic really, nor Nathans, nor Papaya Dog, nor even Checkers…, which are most of the few ‘chains’ that sell hot dogs in my area. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447/40 "2020-02-24T21:03:51Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > If one looks at the [top 10 US burger chains](https://www.qsrmagazine.com/content/qsr50-2019-burger-segment), as far as I can tell, only Sonic, Five Guys, Hardees, and Carl’s Jr. offer hot dogs – the latter two are effectively the same chain, and they have, it appears, only one hot dog (a chili dog) on their menu. That list omits places like DQ, which also serves hamburgers and chili dogs at some 4500 locations nationwide. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hot-dogs-catch-on-like-hamburgers/848447.md?page=3)