WORTH WATCHING

Watch: Short Doc on 'The Wiener's Circle' Hot Dog Stand in Chicago

by Alex Billington
June 9, 2020
Source: YouTube

"Giving us the human interaction we need." There's a (in)famous hot dog stand in Chicago known as The Wiener's Circle, where they yell at you and make fun of you when you order/pick-up food. It's all part of their brand (they even launched a mock news network on YouTube last year). The stand has been closed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but now it's re-opening and they released a hilarious promo video (seen below). This is also a great time to dig up an old "short film" segment from Ira Glass' "This American Life" where he goes to The Wiener's Circle and learns about it - who they are, why everyone loves them, and everything else about it. It's an old video from 1996, but still good, a great way to celebrate this iconic eatery with a behind-the-scenes look at how it all works. The number for Facetime orders is 773-BITCHES. Ahaha.

And here's the new The Wiener's Circle promo video to bring customers back after the pandemic shutdown:

Thanks to Mike for the tip on this. Original description: "Host Ira Glass spent a Saturday night — from 9:00 p.m. until dawn the next morning — at one of the most frenetic, joyous, efficient, angry, boisterous hot dog stands in the nation: Chicago's own Wiener Circle." This segment is pulled from the original "This American Life", Episode #33, made in August of 1996. You can listen to the full episode here. The Wiener's Circle is a beloved, black-owned restaurant "hot dog stand" located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois - you can find it on Google Maps here. Description for this most recent promo video: "Let's face it, shit's kinda fucked up these days. But we're here to provide the comfort we all need right now, in the form of Facetime & Curbside Abuse." Visit the Facebook page. For more shorts, click here. So who wants a hot dog?

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