The Wieners Circle
Coordinates: 41°55′48″N 87°38′37″W / 41.93°N 87.643611°W
| The Wieners Circle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Food type | Hot dog stand |
| City | Lincoln Park, Chicago |
| State | Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Other locations | Las Vegas, Nevada [1] |
The Wieners Circle is a hot dog stand on Clark street in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States.[2] It is known for its Maxwell Street Polish, Char-dogs, hamburgers, cheese fries, and the mutual verbal abuse[3] between the employees and the customers during the late-weekend hours.
Food
The establishment is known for its char-grilled food, especially its hot dogs and hamburgers (commonly called char-dogs and char-burgers).[5] A Wiener Circle char dog with "the works" is a grilled Vienna Beef hot dog on a warm poppy seed bun, topped with mustard, onions, relish, dill pickle spears, tomato slices, sport peppers and a dash of celery salt.
History
The Weiners Circle opened for business in 1983.[6] Sometime in the early 1990s (circa 1992[7]) Larry Gold, one of the proprietors, called a drunk and distracted customer an "a**hole" in order to get his attention. This set off the late-night abuse culture of the restaurant. The atmosphere can range from playful to hostile.[8] The language used by both the staff and customers during these hours is notoriously foul and aggressive.[9] On the weekends, the establishment stays open as late as 5:00 am, drawing many drunken customers who have arrived from bars and clubs.[8]
The nightly tips are very high, and people have worked there for ten years or more.[8] The location of the hot dog stand is just north of what used to be the Wrightwood Hotel.[10] In 2008, the restaurant was briefly closed by health inspectors for not having hot running water where employees would wash their hands, and other food safety violations.[11]
In March 2016, the restaurant offered 3-inch 'Trump footlong' hot dogs.[12]
In media
One of the more famous employees is Roberta "Poochie" Jackson, who was featured (along with the restaurant) in a 2007 episode of the Showtime television version of the Chicago Public Radio program This American Life,[8] as well as an episode of Extreme Fast Food on the Travel Channel. In Chicago travel guides, The Wieners Circle is often extolled as a source for authentic Chicago-style hot dogs and its uniquely abrasive customer relations.[13] Journalist Catherine Price listed The Wieners Circle in her book 101 Places Not to See Before You Die, calling it "a microcosm of segregation in Chicago",[14] and commenting, "If our metric were 'places that make me sad about humanity,' late night at Wiener's Circle would have been at the top."[2]
The restaurant was featured in an episode of Insomniac with Dave Attell on Comedy Central in 2002.
The restaurant is the setting for a truTV reality game show.[15][16]
The Wieners Circle was featured in both radio and TV episodes of This American Life.[17]
The restaurant was the setting of a sketch featuring Jack McBrayer and Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog in the June 14, 2012 episode of the late night talk show Conan, which was the last in a week of shows taped in Chicago.[18]
The restaurant was featured in an episode of the Extreme Fast Food specials on the Travel Channel.[19]
See also
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Wieners Circle. |
- ↑ vegas.eater.com/2014/5/16/6223225/updated-wieners-circle-is-bringing-the-sass-to-vegas
- 1 2 Borrelli, Christopher (June 20, 2010), "101 Places Not to See Before You Die", Chicago Tribune, Tribune Company, retrieved June 1, 2011
- ↑ "The Wiener's Circle, Chicago's rudest hot dog stand, is sold". chicagotribune.com. Tribune Chicago. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
- ↑ "The Wiener's Circle celebrates Trump's Chicago visit with 3-inch hot dogs". March 11, 2016.
- ↑ Berg, Eric N. (July 25, 1990), "At the Nation's Table", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, retrieved June 1, 2011
- ↑ "Wiener's Circle opening in Las Vegas". articles.chicagotribune.com. Tribune Chicago.
- ↑ "The Wieners Circle".
- 1 2 3 4 This American Life. "Act II, In Wiener Veritas, from Pandora's Box", No. 6, season 1, April 26, 2007.
- ↑ McMurry, Joel F. S. (November 21, 2009), "The Wieners Circus", STOCKYARD, Stockyard Media, retrieved June 1, 2011
- ↑ Apel, Melanie Ann (2002), Lincoln Park, Chicago, Arcadia Publishing, p. 26, ISBN 0-7385-2016-0 Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Staff (December 19, 2008), "Health Dept. Shuts Down Wiener's Circle", Chicago Breaking News, Tribune Company, retrieved June 20, 2012
- ↑ "The Wiener's Circle welcomes Donald Trump with 3-inch Chicago hot dog". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
- ↑ Janssen, Kim (May 16, 2016). "Woman Hurt at Wieners Circle Can Sue over Unruly Atmosphere, Court Rules", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
- ↑ Price, Catherine (2010), 101 Places Not to See Before You Die, HarperCollins, pp. 137–138, ISBN 0-06-178776-0
- ↑ Abernethy, Samantha (March 16, 2012). "This Exists: A Reality Show About Wiener's Circle". Chicagoist.
- ↑ The Wieners Circle, 2012-02-01, retrieved 2016-03-12
- ↑ "A Night at the Wiener Circle". This American Life. August 23, 1996.
- ↑ "The Day Lake Michigan Got Renamed What It Should've Been Called in the First Place – Lake Illinois!". Conan. Season 2. Episode 104. June 14, 2012. TBS.
- ↑ "Travel Channel Wins Lawsuit Over Filming at Racy Hot Dog Stand".