The Wiener's Circle

WARNING: The following post is rated PG-13 and may not be suitable for children!

When you’re at a fancy restaurant, service is extremely important. You feel you should be treated with respect and that you always “know what’s best.” Of course, the lower the quality of the establishment, the lower the quality of service. I don’t enjoy eating out that much because I feel guilty looking at all the young waiters hustling around doing a job you know they don’t enjoy. Plus, whenever I go to a restaurant like Applebee’s I feel sooo white. I think we would all like to see a waiter just let their customer(s) have it someday. In some places, if you’re not being called a motherf***** you’re not getting what you came for.

Chicago is a city known for many historic eateries, and The Wiener’s Circle is no different. This hot dog stand is known for its char-grilled food and verbal abuse between customers and employees. (They also have delicious chili fries.) Their most ordered item is the ‘chardog’ with “the works”; a grilled Vienne beef hot dog on a warm poppy seed bun topped with mustard, onions, relish, dill pickles spears, tomato slices, and sport peppers with a dash of celery salt.

The profanity exchanged between employees and customers only happens during late-weekend hours where they are often open until 5:00 a.m. During the day it’s a typical hot dog stand but when the party crowd comes to grab a bite after the bars close, the insults start flying.

This company tradition began in the early 90s when Larry Gold, one of the owners, was dealing with an intoxicated customer who wasn’t making the ordering process any easier. At his breaking point from the large crowd, Larry called the drunk an ass*****. Nowadays, with the majority of staff being black and the stand being located in an upper-class white neighborhood, racist slurs often change the atmosphere from relaxed to unfriendly.

Did you know?- Some customers request a “chocolate milkshake” from one of the female employees which is a request for them to expose their breasts.