Frequently Asked Questions - Hot Dog Chicago Style

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

We receive a lot of e-mail and get asked many questions. Some of the questions are similar and many are based on assumptions about what Hot Dog Chicago Style is all about. We put together this FAQ to answer the commonly asked questions and to dispell some of the misconceptions. We enjoy receiving your e-mails and have come to realize, despite what your teachers told you, that there is such a thing as a "stupid question".

Q: A:	Is Hot Dog Chicago Style a real business? No. We created the website to share our passion about Chicago Dogs. Sure, it would be great if we could turn this into a multi-million dollar business, but that seems unlikely. Our best bet is to sell the movie rights or sign a book deal.
Q: A:	Are you college students? No. Although we live in Madison, WI (home to the University of Wisconsin), we are not students. We have real jobs as Quality Assurance Engineers at a medical device company.
Q: A:	Do you have any local retail stores in my area? In a perfect world, the first FAQ should have adequately answered the question. Just in case our earlier answer was not clear, we will say it again...Hot Dog Chicago Style is NOT a business.
Q: A:	How can I order your products? Since we are not a business, you cannot order anything from us. We receive many e-mail inqueries about purchasing our hot dogs, buns and related condiments. I guess if we had products to sell, we would be well on our way to creating our hot dog empire. Hey, if any companies out there want to pay us $$ to private label their products under the "Hot Dog Chicago Style" brand, please let us know.
Q: A:	Has Oprah called yet? No. Oprah Winfrey has not called, and we have no reason to believe that she will...especially since it took many years for Oprah and David Letterman to hookup.
Q: A:	How did you come up with the idea for this website? As you probably already know, all great ideas are initially written on a napkin. Our beginnings are no different. All we had to do was come up with a catchy domain name and scribble it on a napkin... As they say, "the rest is history". The included photo is the actual napkin we used to create our hot dog empire. Well, that's not entirely true. It is a real napkin and we did scribble our domain name on it to create the illusion that our success is somehow related to an idea on a napkin. To be honest, we are successful due to hard work and a shrewd business deal where we traded our cow for some magic beans.
Q: A:	Where can I buy poppy seed buns? That depends on where you live. If you live in Madison, you can find great poppy seed buns at Woodman's (they also have everything else you'll need to make a Chicago dog). Copps also has poppy seed buns, but you may need to order them in advance. If you live in the Chicago area, just about any grocery store stocks poppy seed buns (including S. Rosen Mary Ann buns). If all else fails, talk to the bakery at your local grocery store. Most bakeries will be happy to add poppy seed on their buns. You may have to order a couple of days in advance. S. Rosen's poppy seed buns are available online! Click Here for details.
Q: A:	I can not find all of the ingredients to make my own Chicago Dog. What should I do? We have put together a page that should help you in your search. Click Here for help.
Q: A:	Why haven't you reviewed all of the classic dog joints in Chicago? Remember, we don't live in Chicago. If we lived down there, we would certainly have the luxury of reviewing more places. Whenever we make it to Chicago, we try to do a review. We also take a road trip south every spring to do some reviews. So far, our personal best is 14 reviews in one day.
Q: A:	What exactly is a Sport Pepper? A "sport pepper" is actually a pickled Serrano pepper. The quality and heat vary considerably so we'd recommend staying away from any canned Serrano's you may find in the Tex-Mex section of the grocery store. Most Italian Deli's carry sport peppers.
Q: A:	How can I advertise on your website? You can't. Sorry, but we do not accept advertising. Although HotDogChicagoStyle.com receives thousands of hits per month and could easily profit from selling advertising, we are dedicated to keeping the site ad free. In-your-face advertising is a great way to lose visitors.
Q: A:	Is it possible to buy into your franchise? Huh? What franchise? I guess if you would like to send us $10,000, we would be happy to give you absolutely nothing in return except a Hot Dog Chicago Style T-Shirt as our way of saying "Thank You".
Q: A:	Can you give us any advice on starting up a hot dog cart business? We get a ton of questions from people all over the world asking for information on starting up a hot dog business. We would refer you to our friends at HotDogU. They offer a course that will give you the necessary knowledge to start a successful hot dog cart business.
Q: A:	Are you guys available? The simple answer is "Yes" and "No". Yes, we are available for delivering the keynote speech at your next conference. No, we are not available for a romantic candlelight dinner followed by a long stroll on a moonlit beach. Sorry Ladies, but we're pretty sure that our wives wouldn't approve.
Q: A:	I have been eating your hot dogs (all beef) for years. This summer you changed them to a red type hot dog with a casing. I do not like them at all. Will you consider changing them back to the original beef hot dog? We are not going to even answer this one. Here are a few clues: we are not a business; we have no products; we do not sell anything
Q: A:	Will you donate your products to our organization? Again, we are NOT a business and do not have any products to give away. We also do not give free samples, which is also another common question.
Q: A:	Where can I purchase authentic ingredients at wholesale prices? Although we would love to help you, we have no knowledge about retail and wholesale prices and where to get the best deal.
Q: A:	Can you help us with a hot dog costume? For some reason, hot dog costume related questions seem to be popular. No, we don't have a hot dog costume you can borrow and no, we will not help you make one! In our opinion, dressing up like a hot dog when it's not Halloween is wrong on so many levels.
Q: A:	Who designed and created the HotDogChicagoStyle.com website? Our website was designed and created by us. We also maintain the website and update all the content.