ChicDoggie

After my visit to Dream Maker Hot Dog Carts, I was a bit hungry and I wanted to see one of the carts in action. Lucky for me, there was a cart operating out in front of the Home Depot at 22nd Ave. in St. Pete just a few blocks away.

I popped over there and met Kurt Horlacher, owner operator of ChicDoggie, Inc. Kurt has 4 carts in operation, including a Tiki Hut right on the beach in St. Pete! He uses Dream Maker’s Daytona carts at all 4 locations and calls them “the Cadillac of Hot Dog Carts.”

Kurt sure does have it tough, eh?

I quickly figured out that ChicDoggie was short for “Chicago Doggie.” Kurt sells Vienna Beef products and has all the fixings for Genuine Chicago Dogs, right down to the lime green relish, poppy seed buns, and sport peppers. He’s  a bit of a character who kept spitting out the one liners with the deft style of a stand up comic.

There was some heated discussion about certain condiments: ketchup and mayo. Kurt shared his views on the use of these toppings and I had to educate him on the “letter of the law” regarding their use on the beloved hot dog. A young lady from Chicago weighed in on the subject too.

I had another visit scheduled right after seeing Kurt, so  I didn’t go nuts. I just had one dog, all around. That’s mustard, relish, and onions to the uninitiated. Vienna Beef never disappoints, and this was no exception. Kurt grills each dog up fresh and hot and serves them on, soft, fresh steamed rolls.

I hung out for a while, chatted up some of the regulars, got Kurt’s take on the hot dog business and shot the obligatory video. The next time I am in St. Pete, I am gonna check out the beach location.

Enjoy.