# 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:** 4
**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, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/61 "2022-02-12T02:07:20Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > You might enjoy their open-faced Slayer burger. Yes, there’s a burger under there Looks mighty tasty! I wonder too if the hot dog chains might consider something like the choucroute garnie: > **[Choucroute Garnie Recipe](https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/choucroute-garnie)** > > Families in Alsace generally eat choucroute garnie during the wintertime, because it's such a hearty, filling dish.; Jacques Pépin has adapted the rec... ---
**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, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/62 "2022-02-12T02:10:22Z")
Huh. The picture doesn’t look the same, but it’s very similar in spirit to a Polish dish called _bigos_. My parents would make it with hot dogs, sausages, bacon, ham, pork shoulder – whatever porky bits were left over in the freezer. The Polish version looks a bit more stewy than what is in your photo, but the idea of sauerkraut + pork products is there: > **[Bigos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigos)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Bigos (Polish pronunciation: \[ˈbʲiɡɔs\]; Belarusian: бігас, bihas, or бігус, bihus, Lithuanian: bigusas), often translated into English as hunter's stew, is a Polish dish of chopped meat of various kinds stewed with sauerkraut and shredded fresh cabbage. It is served hot and can be enriched with vegetables, spices or wine. > Originally from Poland, the dish also became traditional in the areas of the vast Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. > The Polish ... ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/63 "2022-02-12T02:14:54Z")
How are you supposed to eat something that thick? I can only imagine deconstructing it first. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/64 "2022-02-12T02:37:43Z")
I remember my family going to a LUMS in the suburbs of Washington DC back in the late 60’s when I was a kid. They had hot dogs steamed in beer. > **[Lum's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lum%27s)** > > Lum's was an American family restaurant chain based in Florida with additional locations in several states. It was founded in 1956 in Miami Beach, Florida, by Stuart and Clifford S. Perlman when they purchased Lum's hot dog stand for $10,000. Over the next few years, the Perlman brothers opened three additional Lum's restaurants, for a total of four by 1961. > Clifford Perlman, in addition to owning Lum's, had been serving as the president of Southern Wood Industries, Inc., resigned that positio... ---
**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, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/65 "2022-02-12T02:44:15Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Kuma’s is just too much burger for me. I think that thing was featured on The Food Network. Either Triple-D or Man vs Food. ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/66 "2022-02-12T02:54:48Z")
There was a Dog N Suds in my childhood home town. It was a drive-in specializing in Coney dogs and root beer. At one point there were 650 Dog N Suds locations across 38 states, but now there are only 15 left, according to wikipedia. I should visit one of the remaining locations before they vanish entirely. [![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58791f01be65949c2416f41e/1484842881422-EVFW29QPZZ8PKWBO0443/894852_182902451858801_144454663_o.jpg) ](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58791f01be65949c2416f41e/1484842881422-EVFW29QPZZ8PKWBO0443/894852_182902451858801_144454663_o.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/67 "2022-02-12T03:21:24Z")
In my city a hotdog stand opened but after just under two years it closed. I adored the hotdogs, the food was GREAT, but it was mismanaged and went under. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/68 "2022-02-12T04:12:59Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > > [@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. Mmm, dirty-water dogs. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/69 "2022-02-12T05:24:50Z")
We have a hot dog place that’s been famous for decades, called ‘Heid’s’. Their hotdogs are Hoffman brand, natural casing hot dogs and coonies (a white sausage). A double, with a carton of chocolate milk, brings everybody to their yard. Grilled on an old fashioned black grill in peanut oil, with Heid’s mustard, dee-licious. Lately there has been a kerfuffle with people complaining about the restaurant (getting too expensive with too many other items) and complaints about the hot dogs themselves. Too small, or taste ‘different’. Heid’s swears that nothing has changed, and Hoffmans swears nothing has changed with them, either. (but I’ve noticed in the past different batches sometimes have different tastes. The sausages are sold in grocery stores, too.) some are deliciously spicey, and some seem to have that piggy ‘oink’ to them. I wouldn’t be surprised if the difference was due, of course, to supply issues, to covid f’ing things up. Hoffmans might have been using meat from ABC company but is forced to use meat from the XYZ company due to shortages or transportation issues. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/70 "2022-02-12T08:34:30Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > And apparently, Der Wienerschnitzel have dropped the Der from their name. It never should have been there. AIUI, in German, a compound noun such as _wienerschnitzel_ takes the gender of the last noun. _Schnitzel_ is neuter, so it should have always been _ **Das** Wienerschnitzel_. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/71 "2022-02-12T08:39:01Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > To answer the OP: because hot dogs are one step removed from Purina. So a high-end hot dog restaurant could be called “Yuppie Chow?” ETA: TIL that Hot Dog On a Stick does NOT, in fact, have an outlet in every mall food court in the country. That’s a disappointing thing to learn. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/72 "2022-02-12T10:56:16Z")
I looked at Yelp for Little Rock. I may seek out ScoopDog. Lea-Lea’s Gourmet Dogs - advertises up scale dogs and daquiris. The Original ScoopDog - sells a variety of dogs and fresh frozen custard. Their building looks like a converted Baskin Robbins. We did have a Food Truck that parked downtown at lunch and relied on the office workers. It sold upscale burgers, hot dogs, and 🌮 . I’m not sure they survived after _work at home_ became the norm. I hope the Food trucks come back after life gets back to normal. I used to stop at several and they usually had good food. > **[Little Rock Food Trucks](https://www.littlerock.com/food-drink/food-trucks?keywords=&categoryIds=3005e43a-3474-67b5-b1af-ff0000730e39&categoryName=)** > > Little Rock’s vibrant food truck scene is whetting the appetites of residents and visitors alike. ---
**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, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/73 "2022-02-12T13:44:34Z")
> [@Retzbu\_Tox](#): > > There was a Dog N Suds in my childhood home town. Or as we affectionately referred to ours, “Arf n Barf.” Good stuff! Wasn’t the slogan “Doggone good food”? I was at Big Lots one day and found bottles of the root beer…sugar free, no less. But I think they changed the recipe. IIRC there was a program on food network where they explored some of the different preparations. Deep fried? Take it from a chef with plenty o’ junk in the trunk… > **[Alex on Deep-Fried Hot Dogs](https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/channels/alex-on-deep-fried-hot-dogs)** > > Watch Alex on Deep-Fried Hot Dogs from Food Network ---
**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, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/74 "2022-02-12T14:04:50Z")
See also New Jersey “ripper” dogs. Here in Chicago, while I’ve never seen derp fried dogs, throwing a Polish into the deep fryer is not unusual . ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/75 "2022-02-12T14:13:11Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > We did have a Food Truck that parked downtown at lunch and relied on the office workers. There’s a hotdog food truck around here that hits breweries. They do “Chicago Dogs” as well as chili dogs, cheese dogs, etc. ETA: they’re my first/only exposure to Chicago dogs. ---
**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, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/76 "2022-02-12T14:41:49Z")
[World’s longest…60 meters.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_dog#/media/File:60m_Hot_Dog_Akasaka_Aug4_06.jpeg) [Hot dog sushi?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_dog#/media/File:%E3%82%8F%E3%81%95%E3%81%B3%E3%81%AC%E3%81%8D_(3559517214).jpg) [Hot dog - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_dog) has more interesting pictures of variations. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/77 "2022-02-12T14:46:45Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > That they did… in 1977. Maybe some franchises didn’t get the message, because I have called them Der forever, and I never even heard of them until 1985. I can’t imagine that I’d both make it up, _and_ use the wrong article. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/78 "2022-02-12T14:56:11Z")
A&W was a thing in New York State at least through the 80s — I remember the ads well: “A&W Root Beer has that frosty mug tayeeeeest…” My wife grew up in Malaysia in the 1990s, where A&W was considered a “treat place.” ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/79 "2022-02-12T15:31:16Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > 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 Sounds like you have [alpha-gal](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alpha-gal-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20428608) syndrome, in which case you can’t eat pork hot dogs either. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259/80 "2022-02-12T15:45:42Z")
For stuff like burgers and chicken and pizza, outlets order bulk ingredients and then use them to make their own differentiated product. For hot dogs, the hot dog _is_ the differentiated product. So as a hot-dog retailer, unless you own the meat-packing plant, your product is no different from any other hot dog in the region. That means you’re forced to compete on cost, which leaves giants like Costco that can sell cheap dogs and protect their margins in other ways. We do have local hot-dog chains where I live. I like hot dogs, and I find theirs to be exceptionally good. But the world’s best hotdog is sort of like the world’s best bass player. You need a specific and obsessive interest in it to appreciate any sort of worthwhile distinction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-nationwide-hot-dog-chains/959259.md?page=5)