--- title: Hot dogs are making their stand - The Hustle description: You don’t have to go all Joey Chestnut to take advantage of National Hot Dog Month. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/765967681-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-hot_dog_20230711001828.webp --- # Hot dogs are making their stand ![Ben Berkley](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Ben Berkley](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/ben-berkley) Published: July 12, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 Hot dogs are having a moment. So much so that *The Wall Street Journal* [declared](https://www.wsj.com/articles/restaurant-hot-dog-toppings-fully-loaded-2046818c?mod=life_work_major_1_pos4) franks “the ‘it’ restaurant order” of the summer. ![hot dogs](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/765967681-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-hot_dog_20230711001828.webp?width=595&height=400&name=765967681-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-hot_dog_20230711001828.webp) America’s favorite meat tubes require no introduction — US consumers already buy 900m+ pounds of them annually, per the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. - Perhaps an etiquette brush-up *is* required? The NHDSC has a [guide](https://hot-dog.org/culture/hot-dog-etiquette) for that. (Apparently standard hot dogs should need no more than five bites?) #### **July is the wieniest month** No month rivals this one — National Hot Dog Month, naturally — in hot dog sales, thanks to the July Fourth holiday. - NHDSC [estimates](https://hot-dog.org/media/consumption-stats) 150m hot dogs — supposedly enough to stretch from DC to LA 5x — are consumed on average each Independence Day. But could hot dogs become a year-round phenomenon? Maybe. #### **Hot dogs are taking off in restaurants nationwide** Why? They’re a great vessel for nostalgia and novelty — and both are good for business. - Regional chains that position hot dogs as a comfort food — namely, Wienerschnitzel and Portillo’s — are expanding nationally, [per](https://thetakeout.com/america-needs-hot-dog-fast-food-national-chain-1850376884) *The Takeout*. - Growing franchises like Five Guys and Shake Shack — devoted to hot dog’s frenemy, the hamburger — are [gaining attention](https://www.eatthis.com/fast-food-hot-dog-taste-test/) for slinging dogs as well. - Costco’s $1.50 hot dog combo, a [popular draw](https://www.mashed.com/1314292/how-much-costco-hot-dogs-would-cost-accounted-inflation/), isn’t going anywhere — at least not if its employees want to [remain among the living](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/costco-founder-kill-hotdogs/). - Also a draw: exotic hot dog varieties, with MLB ballparks engaged in a [gross, endless arms race](https://www.mashed.com/1278729/unique-hot-dogs-mlb-ballparks/). (The weirdest belongs to the Cleveland Guardians, who sell a dog topped with Froot Loops and pimento mac and cheese.) - There’s also that [viral NYC hot dog](https://ny.eater.com/2023/5/18/23725514/mischa-alex-stupak-midtown-first-look) that costs *$29*. **One note on hot dog innovation: **Keep it coming, please. Seeking inspiration? Look to Phoenix’s Short Leash, which serves its hot dogs [on naan](https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2022/07/20/phoenix-food-fight-hot-dog-edition) rather than typical buns. Topics: [Food](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/food) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Holy smokes, there may actually be a limit to Texans’ love of barbecue](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1244337807-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Texas-BBQ_20230928210924.webp) ### Holy smokes, there may actually be a limit to Texans’ love of barbecue - ![Think your industry is weird? Get a load of the beaded ice cream business](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/908447747-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-dippindots_20231002233115.webp) ### Think your industry is weird? Get a load of the beaded ice cream business - ![When did the packaged food aisle get so cool?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/2070592382-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Packaging_20231003215516.webp) ### When did the packaged food aisle get so cool? - ![The cereal industry’s forecast has no added sugar](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/258270469-19-News-Brief_2023-09-24T200813.124Z.webp) ### The cereal industry’s forecast has no added sugar - ![One chip, several problems](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/161461033-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-paqui_20230914213352.webp) ### One chip, several problems - ![The shroom boom is coming to the candy aisle](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1460885417-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Mushrooms_20230816224353-1.webp) ### The shroom boom is coming to the candy aisle - ![A Pop-Tarts and Crocs partnership exists because we’re all total suckers](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1897903693-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-croc-tarts_20230814231514.webp) ### A Pop-Tarts and Crocs partnership exists because we’re all total suckers - ![L’Eggo my… booze in a jar?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/858195133-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Eggo_20230822212534.webp) ### L’Eggo my… booze in a jar? - ![Investors in search of greener pastures look to lab-grown meat](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/62473941-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Beyond_Meat_stock_20230806234941.webp) ### Investors in search of greener pastures look to lab-grown meat - ![Holy cow, we’re eating a lot of chicken](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/458357979-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Chicken-vs-Beef-v1_20230706225246.webp) ### Holy cow, we’re eating a lot of chicken Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. 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