The Wieners Circle
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The Wieners Circle is a hot dog stand in Chicago, Illinois. It is famous for four things: its signature Chicago-style hot dogs, hamburgers and cheese fries, and the mutual verbal abuse between the employees and the customers during the late-weekend hours.[1] On the weekends, the establishment stays open as late as 5:00 AM, drawing many drunken customers who have arrived from bars and clubs.[2]
[edit] Food
The establishment is known for its char-grilled food, especially its hot dogs and hamburgers (commonly called chardogs and charburgers).
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, and sport peppers - plus a final dash of celery salt (see photo at left).
[edit] Abusive language
Sometime in the early 1990s (circa 1992) Larry Gold, one of the proprietors, called a drunk and distracted customer an "asshole" in order to get his attention. This set-off the late-night abuse culture of the restaurant.[2] The atmosphere can range from playful to hostile.[2] The language used by both the staff and customers during these hours in notoriously foul and aggressive, and sometimes racist. As the wait-staff is largely African-American and the clientele middle-class to wealthy white, the more racist epithets have led to the rare physical altercation. Customers commonly request a "chocolate milkshake," or for one of the female employees to lift her shirt and shake her breasts.[2]
The nightly tips are very high, and people have worked there for ten years or more.[2] One of the more famous employees is Roberta "Poochie" Jackson, who was featured (along with the restaurant) in a 2007 episode of the Chicago Public Radio/Showtime program This American Life.[2] 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.[3]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Shimo, Alexandra (2008-02-25), Burgers N' Bigots, Maclean's. 121 (7):55
- ^ a b c d e f This American Life, "Act II, In Wiener Veritas, from Pandora's Box, No. 6, season 1", 26 April 2007.
- ^ Blackwell, Elizabeth Canning (2004) Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Chicago p. 55
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