teatpuller wrote:Another fun thing is to make panhandlers tap-dance for change. I always get a kick out of that.

David Hammond wrote:Well, not to defend anyone, but I do think it's questionable to criticize a restaurant (or hot dog stand) that you've never been to. Just as it'd be questionable to criticize a piece of music you've never heard or a painting you've never seen.

Historical events...well, they're in a different category, don't you think?

DML wrote:Some people yelling at each other is shameful?

Panther in the Den wrote:Someday they will close for one reason or another and maybe Portello's will move in.

If the staff there feel exploited by the drunk kids, I'm guessing there wouldn't be chocolate milkshakes for sale.

Because no one's ever had to do degrading things to feed one's family.

Thanks for posting that clip, David. I haven't been there in years and never at night, but that was stomach-turning. Painful to watch, I feel for the employees who put up with this in order to care for their families.

. . . a group of five local investors who call themselves hot dog obsessives and have grand plans to grow the Wiener Circle brand beyond its Lincoln Park location.

Ari Levy said one of the strong traits of The Wiener's Circle is the restaurant as theater, and they hope to leverage that to greater exposure.

“There’s great comedy that goes on there,” Levy said. “We think that, with help of some great people in the comedy world, we can make that experience so much better.”

Ram4 wrote:I started going there around 1985. All I ever wanted when I went there was a couple of hot dogs and great fries. That whole yelling sideshow at night was so annoying once it started years later.

stevez wrote:

Ari Levy said one of the strong traits of The Wiener's Circle is the restaurant as theater, and they hope to leverage that to greater exposure.

“There’s great comedy that goes on there,” Levy said. “We think that, with help of some great people in the comedy world, we can make that experience so much better.”

RED FLAG!

blipsman wrote:Betting they'll announce a lease for a location at Navy Pier by year's end...

stevez wrote:

Ram4 wrote:I started going there around 1985. All I ever wanted when I went there was a couple of hot dogs and great fries. That whole yelling sideshow at night was so annoying once it started years later.

The verbal abuse doesn't happen during the day. Only at night, once the bars close. By day, Wiener's Circle is one of the better dog/burger stands in town. Hopefully, the quality of the food won't take a hit once the new owners turn it into a sanitized Ed Debevics-like experience.

pairs4life wrote:If the new owners can bring back their awesome, and actual frozen dessert drinks that would be awesome.

Da Beef wrote:I have decided to give the WC its own launching pad for discussion both good and bad. Hate it or love it it is one of Chicago's most famous and well known hot dog stands and if you don't like it, it isn't because the food is bad.



I have stated my opinions elsewhere on the board if you want to know exactly how I feel about it outside of the food. This post is all about the food.

I hadn't been to WC in at least a year until a few days ago when I stopped by during the day. Nothing has changed food wise its as good as it was when I ate there a few times a week in HS. There were a group of 4 young HS boys, myself and some older regulars from the neighborhood and hospital. It was as mellow as a hot dog stand can get and there were "please" and "thank you" and "your welcomes" being exchanged back and forth. I got a char dog with a cheese fries, I always get my cheese on the side.


This is the best hot dog in the city that is not the old depression style (G&J and Jimmy's) One thing they dont do at WC is skimp on toppings, these dogs come loaded with grilled onions or raw, mustard, pickles, sport peppers, relish, tomato, and celery salt. The cheese fries? still my favorite batch of cheese fries in town.

Then last night when I was standing outside of the bar with my friend while she smoked a cigarette I got rather agitated. Some POS 30 something was walking around with his drunk friends yelling and make a fool of themselves when one said something like "are we going to wieners circle, I need a hot dog and to yell at those (wont repeat it) I need to unload some steam" I offered him the chance to unload that steam on me and told him to yell that at me or someone not behind a counter and see what happens. Well it ended with his friend dragging him away as they both were very scared and shaking and got worried that there designer jackets were going to get ripped apart.

So that is a peak into the other side of WC. I wont hide anything. Since my dog was so tasty and brought back many a memory I went back last night for a burger and to check the scene on a Thursday night around 1am. It was almost as quiet as my previous visit. The only time there was yelling go on was when I snapped this picture of the grill. I was told "to leave sumtin in that tip jar for that picture" and I told her in a normal toned voice "sweety I have been coming here longer than you have been here, you'll come to learn I always do"


The grill is always flaming at WC. This is a slow night, thats 2 dogs and a burger, you can imagine the grill on a night when the line is out the door.


Hey, they are the home of the char broiled cheddar burger. If you dont like these then you dont like burgers. One of the best around. OK its not quite as good as Paradise Pup's but its right behind it and a hell of alot closer to me.

So in defense of the WC, I think it gets a bad rap on this board and other places.

For every schmuck like that guy I ran into last night there is a neighborhood regular who knows what good Chicago fast food is and goes there to eat great grub and not yell back and forth.

Its also a straight shot down Clark St. from the downtown area on the bus making it one of the best hot dogs accessible to tourists and visitors.

Its a great stop during the day if your shopping, visiting the zoo or just enjoying the neighborhood.

It has GREAT street food and there is parking in back.

What more do you need? Sure it'll never get a GNR with its reputation for stuff other than the food but those of us that live in the area are sure lucky to have it and its not going anywhere soon.

Other mentions of WC can be found here, here, here here, here. Thanks a bunch Mhays, Ive been asking around about how I do that and trying to figure it out forever.

The Wieners Circle
2622 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 477-7444

stevez wrote:

Ram4 wrote:I started going there around 1985. All I ever wanted when I went there was a couple of hot dogs and great fries. That whole yelling sideshow at night was so annoying once it started years later.

The verbal abuse doesn't happen during the day. Only at night, once the bars close. By day, Wiener's Circle is one of the better dog/burger stands in town. Hopefully, the quality of the food won't take a hit once the new owners turn it into a sanitized Ed Debevics-like experience.

A woman who suffered broken bones when the notoriously rowdy atmosphere at Wieners Circle got out of hand can sue the North Side hot dog stand for helping to create the unruly ambience in which she was hurt, a state appellate court panel has ruled.

It [the appellate court panel] added that the restaurant could "properly train its employees not to antagonize customers beyond a certain point, or could hire security to work the late night hours" and said that "where a business ... such as Wieners Circle intentionally creates and knowingly maintains a volatile environment in which the likelihood of injury to its invitees in unreasonably high, it has a duty to protect its invitees or to warn them of the danger."

The Wieners Circle, that Lincoln Park institution known as much for its late-night insults as its hot dogs, may soon have to take its shtick somewhere else.
The hot dog stand's longtime landlord has hired a broker to sell the Clark Street property and an apartment building next door, potentially setting the stage for a developer to raze the 36-year-old restaurant and put up apartments or condos in its place.

Widely known as Chicago's most foul-mouthed, late-night restaurant, The Wiener's Circle recently released its first edition of "The Wiener's Circle News," as-told by the hot dog joint's employees.

Infamous employees like Roberta (Poochie) Jackson share the latest political updates and other employees report on the "shi$$#" Chicago weather and non-existent sports.

Warning! Profanity and humor follows!