Superdawg

Superdawg is a drive-in hot dog stand with carhop service.[1][2] It is located in the Norwood Park, Chicago neighborhood of Chicago, at the intersection of Milwaukee, Devon, and Nagle Avenues. Superdawg has the distinction of being one of the few original drive-in restaurants left in the United States. Its methods have been the same since it opened in 1948. A second, similar location on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling, Illinois opened in 2010.[3]

Superdawg
Superdawg Drive-In. The mascots Maurie and Flaurie, named for the owners, stand tall on the roof.
Restaurant information
EstablishedMay 1948 (May 1948)
Owner(s)Berman family
Food typeHot dog stand with carhop service
Street address6363 N. Milwaukee Avenue
CityChicago
StateIllinois
Postal/ZIP Code60646
CountryUnited States
Coordinates41°59′48″N 87°47′13″W
Other locations333 S. Milwaukee Avenue, Wheeling, IL 60090
Websitesuperdawg.com

Superdawg was featured on the Food Network's television programs Unwrapped and Emeril Live, and on the PBS television programs Check, Please![4] and A Hot Dog Program. It has been visited by many critics and food aficionados. It is listed in the books 1,000 Places to See Before You Die and Hot Dog Chicago: A Native's Dining Guide.[5]

History
Superdawg mascots Maurie and Flaurie.

Superdawg was opened in May 1948 by Maurie and Flaurie Berman, and it is still owned and operated by their family. Although the restaurant has undergone some expansion and remodeling, the landmark figures of anthropomorphic hot dogs "Maurie and Flaurie" on the roof date from the beginning.[6][7]

In 2003, a Superdawg location opened in Midway Airport's B concourse. It closed in 2010 when another Superdawg restaurant opened on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling, Illinois.[3][8]

Superdawg has succeeded in asking a number of restaurants to cease using similar names, but in 2009 successfully sued a New York City hot dog eatery named Superdog when it refused to comply.[9][10] The Superdawg trademark was registered in 1984.[11]

In 2014, Superdawg collaborated with Lake Effect Brewing Company, a Chicago craft brewery, to create a lager-style beer called Super Bier.[12]

Maurie Berman died on May 17, 2015.[13][14] His wife Flaurie died May 1, 2018.[15]

In June 2015, the Unicode Consortium added a hot dog to the list of officially recognized emoji. In September 2015, Apple made the symbol available on its phones and computers with the release of the iOS 9 operating system. Superdawg was a leader in the effort to establish the hot dog emoji.[16][17]

Carhop service

The restaurant retains a 1950s style of ordering food. Customers pull their car up to one of the carports and order through a retro-looking metallic speaker box. Each cashier responds to the customer's call through the speaker box with the greeting, "Hiya, thanks for stopping. May I take your order now?" The orders are delivered to the car window by a carhop with a tray that hooks on to the half-open car window. When finished eating, the customer flips a switch on the box and a carhop comes to take the tray back. Many of the carhops have been there for years and have a loyal base of customers. There is also a walkup window and a small seating area inside the restaurant. The Wheeling location has a much larger indoor seating area.

The food
The hot dog and French fries are served together in a distinctive cardboard box.

All of the sandwiches come with crinkle-cut french fries inside a box that helps retain its heat. Every Superdawg comes with a signature pickled green tomato,[18] one of Superdawg's distinctions from the classic Chicago-style hot dog, along with its spicier-than-usual wiener. They care about the distinction between a regular red hot as it says on their menu, "not a red hot- not a frankfurter - not a wiener - but our exclusive... Superdawg."They also sell double-cheeseburgers called "Wooper-Cheezies". Superdawg is also known to never put ketchup on any of their hot dogs. If customers ask for ketchup, it's provided on the side.

See also

References
  1. Kindelsperger, Nick (March 8, 2010)."Standing Room Only: Superdawg", Serious Eats. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  2. "Superdawg Drive-In", Metromix.com Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  3. Ahern, Shiela (January 28, 2010). "Superdawg Finally Opens in Wheeling on Milwaukee Avenue", Daily Herald. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  4. "Superdawg Drive-In", Check, Please!, WTTW-TV. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  5. Gebert, Michael (May 4, 2015). "How Chicago's Hot Dog Scene Has Changed—and Hasn't—from the Era of Jane Byrne to Hot Doug", Chicago Reader. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  6. "Our Super Story", Superdawg official website. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  7. Appel, Tom (2007). "The Consumer Guide Sprint(er) to Superdawg", Consumer Guide Automotive. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  8. Malik, Nadia (April 22, 2008). "Wheeling Begins Superdawg Countdown", Daily Herald. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  9. Hughlett, Mike (June 23, 2009). "Superdawg vs. Superdog". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  10. LeSage, Lora (September 20, 2009). "Superdawg Wins Battle of the Names". NBC Chicago. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  11. 73298247, United States Patent and Trademark Office
  12. Cherone, Heather (June 26, 2014). "Superdawg, Lake Effect Brewery Say Hiya to Super Bier" Archived 2016-01-28 at the Wayback Machine, DNAinfo. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  13. Armentrout, Mitchell; Dudek, Mitch (May 17, 2015). "Superdawg Founder Maurie Berman Dies at 89". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  14. Selvam, Ashok (May 18, 2015). "Superdawg Drive-In Founder Maurie Berman Dies on Sunday at 89", Chicago Eater. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  15. Vettel, Phil (May 2, 2018). "Superdawg Co-Owner Florence Berman Dies at 92". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  16. Cherone, Heather (October 21, 2015). "Hot Dog Emoji Officially Available on Apple Devices — Thanks to Superdawg" Archived 2015-12-25 at the Wayback Machine, DNAinfo. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  17. Channick, Robert (October 23, 2015). "How Superdawg Made the Hot Dog Emoji Happen. Maybe.", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  18. Kindelsperger, Nick (May 20, 2013). "Gallery: The 10 Best Chicago-Style Hot Dogs", Serious Eats. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
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