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Pat Handley's avatar

Excellent reporting! We have a 4 location hot dog operation in Wichita similarly named Dog-N-Shake. They started as a hamburger joint called Neal's Burger Bar in 1948 but changed the name in 1962. They serve dogs on a butter toasted New England bun and have a pretty big menu of dogs, burgers and sandwiches. There's a location near my old high school and we would ditch school regularly to grab a dog or two at lunch. Haven't eaten there in over 30 years since going plantbased but I remember them fondly.

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Judy Shertzer's avatar

That's my childhood right there. South Bend had multiple Dog n Suds, and it was a reward to eat there (either for something we'd done right as kids or so my mom didn't have to cook, could go either way). The root beer was/is the best. What I didn't know is that there are two remaining locations near my alma mater in West Lafayette. I have been remiss in visiting them, but, in my defense, West Lafayette has the Triple XXX Family Restaurant, an icon on campus since 1929, and they make mighty fine root beer.

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Kenney Marlatt's avatar

Delightful. Amy and I made a trek out to the Grayslake outpost (hope it reopens) during the pandemic in our search for any outdoor activities. Stopped in at The Freeze for soft serve as well. I've been to the one in Lafayette, Indiana, a long time ago, but if I'm in that part of the country I'm partial to the Triple XXX Family Restaurant in West Lafayette. They have hot dogs but are a bit more burger-focused. (I get the Duane Purvis All-American burger.)

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Robert Simonson's avatar

Looks like I have to the Triple XXX!

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Francis P. Schott's avatar

Only Robert Simonson can make me feel all warm and nostalgic for a place I've never been, wielding the humble hot dog like Proust his madeleine:

"I was conscious that it was connected with the taste of dog and bun, but that it infinitely transcended those savours, could not, indeed, be of the same nature as theirs. Whence did it come? What did it signify? How could I seize upon and define it? - Mary Kate, pass the mustard please!"

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Mary Kate Murray's avatar

😂

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Robert Simonson's avatar

haha!

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Kurt Hernon's avatar

Oh yes, I've been!! Pretty much has not changed

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Eric Simonson's avatar

Loved this. The very logo makes me want to partake!

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Robert Simonson's avatar

It's a great logo. Maybe one day we can go to the one in Tomahawk, WI.

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Eric Simonson's avatar

You're on!

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Mark Cappelletty's avatar

The Richmond Dog n Suds is a 5-10 minute walk from where my in-laws live and, if we're visiting in the summer like we did last August, we always make a point to visit. It's an amazing and super-charming relic. The Brathaus in Richmond down the road is surprisingly good too. I'm a Toledo native and hope (if you haven't already) you stop at Tony Packo's for one of their famous Hungarian hot dogs. They're the best.

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Robert Simonson's avatar

When I went to Richmond, I drove by the Brauhaus and wondered about it. I have been to Tony Packo's twice! Great place. Anything else worth checking out in Toledo, food-wise?

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Mark Cappelletty's avatar

I've lived in Los Angeles for some time so I'm not too caught up in the current Toledo scene, but Mancy's is a wonderful old-school steakhouse (one of the best, if not the best, I've ever been) with separate Italian and seafood outposts and Rudy's Hot Dog makes a solid chili dog. Lots of great Lebanese food, including Souk, which has excellent Middle Eastern-inspired cocktails. You could do a lot worse than go to 5/3rd Field and watch a Mud Hens game, one of my favorite things to do in the world.

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Robert Simonson's avatar

Thank you!

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Kurt Hernon's avatar

Just a hop, skip and half a jump from our bar!

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Robert Simonson's avatar

The Elyria location? Have you been?

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Rick Davis's avatar

Great story. Haven't seen a Dog n Suds in years! My hometown of La Crosse, Wisconsin, is home to a small-but-mighty "chain" of three stores under the name Coney Island Hotdogs, founded in 1922 and still, according to the "about us" link, family-operated. Their sauce is very much like what you describe and show, which I guess goes with the Coney Island moniker. As a kid I doted on these and could eat several at one sitting (as they were quite small, I think to encourage such consumption). https://www.coneyislandhotdog.com/about-us/

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Robert Simonson's avatar

I did not know about this local chain. And my father's family was from LaCrosse! Thank you. I'm going to have to make a trip soon.

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Robert Cashill's avatar

Stewart’s Root Beer had several drive-in style restaurants that touted hot dogs over hamburgers. There’s still a few left in places like Rahway, NJ; my cousins lived near one in Woodbridge that we frequented.

Best of luck with the competition but “best cocktail riding” (re: Odds and Ends)—no. Don’t drink and ride! :)

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Robert Simonson's avatar

I've been to a few of the Stewart's drive-ins in Jersey. (I will fix that typo. Autocorrect causes more typos than any human ever did.)

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Donnel's avatar

Thank you for this! As someone who just moved to Lafayette, IN a few years ago, I had no idea that our Dog n Suds has all this history behind it!

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Robert Simonson's avatar

The Lafayette Dog n Suds are the saviors of the chain! I haven't been, but I bet their stands are very good representatives of the standard.

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Donnel's avatar

Personally I think that they are!

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