For the employees of a small hotdog kiosk on the corner of the square in Crown Point, National Hot Dog Day is not just another day.
“People usually get one to three hot dogs, but a guy came by today and bought nine because it’s hot dog day,” Kelly Kessler, a vendor at The Hot Dog Guy kiosk, said. “He said ‘It’s National Hot Dog Day, it’d be un-American if I didn’t get a hot dog.’”
Despite its name, owner Mike Adams is not the only guy who sells hot dogs for the Hot Dog Guy. Kessler, a Crown Point bus driver, and Jessica Markle, a teacher at Lake Street Elementary in Crown Point, were the ones taking orders Wednesday.
“We usually sell an average of 75-125 dogs per day. I think the most dogs I ever sold in one order was 12,” Markle said. “We got about the same amount of customers today, just bigger orders. We did have a few people mention they came out specifically for hot dog day.”
Independently owned, Kessler said The Hot Dog Guy has been at its current location in the square for nine years with another location a block away.
“We also have homemade Polish sausage, chips and drinks,” Markle said. “And dog treats, and usually we have free suckers for the kids, too.”
Kessler said Adams’ stepson, Anthony Whitmore, has taken over the bulk of the day-to-day operations, though Adams was present on July 4 and does special events on weekends, such as birthdays and graduations.
“The 4th of July is definitely our busiest day, especially since we’re right here on the parade route,” Markle said.
“They do the car cruise on Thursday nights, so then we’re here until about 8 p.m. and that’s also a big night for us,” Kessler said.
Kessler and Markle don’t just sell hot dogs, they eat them, too, with Kessler preferring a chili cheese dog while Markle said she “just likes some relish” on hers.
“I was a vegetarian when I first started here, but not anymore,” Markle said. “National Hot Dog Day is fun. It’s kind of that American staple.”
