# Why no nationwide hot dog chains? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 11, 2022, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259 "2022-02-11T01:32:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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 11, 2022, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/41 "2022-02-11T19:09:08Z")
There are definitely a few in upstate New York. Pretty sure I’ve seen them in both Albany and Lake George ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/42 "2022-02-11T20:15:30Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > > [@Horatius](#): > > > > Hot dogs are probably one of the easiest things there is to cook. They’re all premade, industrially uniform, and can be cooked several different, but largely easy, ways. The only real difficulty is just not leaving them on a grill long enough to burn, and you can entirely avoid that problem by just boiling them. Hell, lots of gas stations have automatic hot dog cooking machines that can keep them in a mostly edible state for _hours_ . > > Some people complain about ketchup on a hot dog, but the real crime is boiling one. That’s the best way to turn a hot dog into a flaccid, tasteless extrusion. It can, but I’ve had some hot dogs where they didn’t. The main thing that seems to leave is the salt. But if they start out salty enough, they can still taste salty enough, and then you get this juicy flavor. It’s not my favorite way to eat them, but I do cook them that way occasionally. Though the idea to me would be to boil then brown slightly. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/43 "2022-02-11T22:08:34Z")
I should really stop following this thread. Presumably due to a bit by a lone star tick, I’ve been allergic to beef for about 10 years now. I miss hot dogs very much. I have turkey franks in the freezer. They’e just not the same. sigh ---
**Author:** ![Tarataratara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tarataratara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarataratara)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/44 "2022-02-11T22:37:03Z")
Interesting. I wonder where Ikea ranks in hot dog sales. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/45 "2022-02-11T22:59:40Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > My advisor in Utah was the quintessential German professor. It always bothered him that Americans could have a restaurant – even a fast-food restaurant – that was called “Weinderschnitzel”, but at which you could not actually get weinerschnitzel ( which is a pan-fried breaded veal cutlet). To him it must have been like an American going to, say, Tibet and seeing a place called, in English, “Char Broiled Sirloin” , but which only sold vegan quiches. I had that happen at JFK Airport, where there was a food stall called “Croque Madame”, and, never having had Croque Monsieur or Madame, was interested in trying it, but it didn’t have either on the menu. Didn’t get anything from them. Actually upon googling them, there are pictures of their croque madame, but the latest was from 2 years ago so maybe they have taken their eponymous item off the menu in the meantime and, at any rate, a key part of the food is fried cheese on top of the sandwich, which the pictures don’t have, so I would have probably been disappointed nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/46 "2022-02-11T23:04:42Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Hot dogs are usially sold from food carts on the street. Not where I live. What you describe sounds more like an old black and white cartoon in a faded newspaper. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/47 "2022-02-11T23:09:32Z")
There are a thousand varieties of sausage links out there and they can all be eaten on a multitude of buns with a vast assortment of condiments. It’s amazing no one has built a chain of restaurants that let you build your own _ala_ Chipotle style. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/48 "2022-02-11T23:45:34Z")
Five Guys is primarily a burger place, but they serve hot dogs as well and you have their entire condiment selection to dress them with. We have a local burger place this is pretty much “Chipotle, but burgers” with lots and lots of toppings and they’ll also do a hot dog. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/49 "2022-02-12T00:27:46Z")
Portillo’s showed up here not long ago. They seem to be expanding. I do love me a Chicago dog, but I usually go to Joey D’s. ---
**Author:** ![Carltonyourdoorman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c37758/32.png) [@Carltonyourdoorman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carltonyourdoorman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/50 "2022-02-12T00:39:40Z")
There are 2 types of hot dogs. Flavorless skinny Bologna boiled hot dogs. And spiced natural casing ambrosia. Nathan’s is the closet thing to a national chain of good hot dogs we have. Sonic and Der Wienershintzel have flavorless grocery store hot dogs. regional chains like portillos or tommies have pretty good hot dogs. and there are probably a lot of local places that make their own dogs. I have never been to Detroit , but one the coney places has a store in Vegas in downtown. that was a pretty good hot dog. ---
**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 12, 2022, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/51 "2022-02-12T00:40:39Z")
> [@gnarator](#): > > Portillo’s showed up here not long ago. They seem to be expanding. They are, indeed. They did an IPO last fall, and are planning to expand from 67 locations to about 600 within the next decade, with plans to build new restaurants both in the Midwest, and in southern states that have a lot of Chicago expatriates. > **[Portillo's eyes 600 units following its $405M IPO](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/portillos-eyes-600-units-following-its-405m-ipo/608706/)** > > CEO Michael Osanloo said the Chicago-based chain's new capital structure allows it to pay off significant debt, and it expects to open locations in nearby Midwestern states and the Sunbelt. ---
**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 12, 2022, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/52 "2022-02-12T00:50:41Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Some people complain about ketchup on a hot dog, but the real crime is boiling one. That’s the best way to turn a hot dog into a flaccid, tasteless extrusion. Not if you do it right, and that means not boiling. Get the water to 150-155F and leave it there until the dog comes to temperature (about 10-15 minutes). You don’t want it hotter than that. Some hot dogs I prefer boiled or steamed (I personally think all-beefs, especially thinner ones like 8/9-to-1s, taste better this way), others I prefer grilled/charred (beef-pork mixtures.) ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/53 "2022-02-12T01:13:10Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Decades ago I toured a chicken processing plant in Lancaster County, PA. I went a few years without eating chicken after the experience. The chicken hot dog material was at “the end of the line”. By that point the bits and pieces were ground to a “gloop” that plopped down a tube to the floor below where it filled plastic drums. I’d heard it attributed to Churchill, but [this site](https://www.quotetab.com/quote/by-otto-von-bismarck/laws-are-like-sausages-it-is-better-not-to-see-them-being-made?source=sarcastic) says it was Otto von Bismarck: > Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made. As far as nationwide chains, why not expand the offerings to kielbasa, bratwurst, smoky links, etc.? > [@Sitnam](#): > > A&W is pretty much a Minnesota thing now, but I remember many more 30 years ago. Were they national? I know they were in Illinois 50 years ago. I’ve seen them in my travels since…Seattle, for instance. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > you’d see an A&W/Long John Silvers, or A&W/Taco Bell, etc. Yes, usually that’s how I see them. IIRC the Seattle one was stand alone. > [@Pleonast](#): > > Some people complain about ketchup on a hot dog, but the real crime is boiling one. That’s the best way to turn a hot dog into a flaccid, tasteless extrusion. We always boil brats in beer before grilling them. I wonder what might give the hotdog more flavor. IIRC the Sunday newspaper “Parade” mag once had an article for a Vegas casino that gave each patron a free half pound hot dog. They used it as a gimmick since the fancy places had big floor shows and lots of other attractions. Googling it now, maybe this was it: [https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g45963-d271361-r80068084-Slots\_A\_Fun\_Casino-Las\_Vegas\_Nevada.html](https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g45963-d271361-r80068084-Slots_A_Fun_Casino-Las_Vegas_Nevada.html) ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/54 "2022-02-12T01:16:34Z")
And THE Nathan’s, of course, is in Coney Island. My son for the most part doesn’t like hot dogs, but says he will still eat them at the original Nathan’s. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/55 "2022-02-12T01:20:19Z")
Or Westward Ho! Wienerschnitzel has an all-beef dog that isn’t half bad. It’s the base for their Texas Dog which a particular downfall of mine. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/56 "2022-02-12T01:28:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Wienerschnitzel has an all-beef dog that isn’t half bad. It’s the base for their Texas Dog which a particular downfall of mine. I’ve been to Wienerschnitzel in Texas a couple times. Pretty decent! There are a few places here too that use it as a topping, i.e. a dog atop the burger, maybe with chili or whatever. ---
**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 12, 2022, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/57 "2022-02-12T01:52:45Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > There are a few places here too that use it as a topping, i.e. a dog atop the burger, maybe with chili or whatever. There is a place here in Chicago, Kuma’s Corner, that has that, or at least did back when I patronized the place, called “Goblin Cock”: [https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/13321839\_10153483820205163\_924506522175917886\_n.jpg?\_nc\_cat=111&ccb=1-5&\_nc\_sid=9267fe&\_nc\_ohc=eCzXDrg1gX0AX\_d3nJZ&\_nc\_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=00\_AT\_9lKPiIgkYDORaJvdzLCKwQeGGT7qdRaqs0lOgpoU3uA&oe=622C6DE8](https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.18169-9/13321839_10153483820205163_924506522175917886_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=9267fe&_nc_ohc=eCzXDrg1gX0AX_d3nJZ&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=00_AT_9lKPiIgkYDORaJvdzLCKwQeGGT7qdRaqs0lOgpoU3uA&oe=622C6DE8) No, I’ve never had it because – why? ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/58 "2022-02-12T01:55:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > No, I’ve never had it because – why? Along the lines of turducken? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/59 "2022-02-12T01:56:47Z")
Because it’s _there_. ---
**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 12, 2022, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/60 "2022-02-12T01:59:35Z")
You might enjoy their open-faced Slayer burger. Yes, there’s a burger under there: [https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/68506943\_2371667449578471\_8394828414019698688\_n.jpg?\_nc\_cat=100&ccb=1-5&\_nc\_sid=a26aad&\_nc\_ohc=5eYsDHMkVmsAX9hhMx2&tn=NRx1DRZ9ga-BBnZF&\_nc\_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=00\_AT92omhTeBmsXLIxihG1cs8p\_7rPeEUSLW20NZY-lSY\_bQ&oe=622DAD72](https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/68506943_2371667449578471_8394828414019698688_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=a26aad&_nc_ohc=5eYsDHMkVmsAX9hhMx2&tn=NRx1DRZ9ga-BBnZF&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=00_AT92omhTeBmsXLIxihG1cs8p_7rPeEUSLW20NZY-lSY_bQ&oe=622DAD72) Kuma’s is just too much burger for me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259.md?page=4)