The Sonoran hot dog has long been the province of roadside food stands, but the Old Pueblo favorite may finally be going corporate.
Wienerschnitzel, which bills itself as the world's largest hot-dog chain, added the local specialty to its menu this month, said Robert Barron, who operates a franchise at 2155 S. Sixth Ave.
The rollout, limited to Tucson, is a test run to see if Wienerschnitzel will introduce the Sonoran dog to its other locations, Barron said.
Wienerschnitzel decided to give the Sonoran dog a go after Tucson franchise operators lobbied the company to put the iconic snack on the menu, he said.
Barron said it just didn't seem right to run a hot-dog restaurant in Tucson without Sonoran hot dogs.
"You see the stand everywhere," he said. "We'd been talking with corporate for a while. We're pretty excited."
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Wienerschnitzel's take on the Sonoran dog costs $2.69 and comes with the basic trappings you'd expect: bacon, pinto beans, tomatoes, mustard and mayonnaise, plus jalapeños.
One difference that may not go over well with purists: The hot dog isn't wrapped in bacon, but side-by-side with it in the bun.
Still, Barron said he thinks Wienerschnitzel's Sonoran dog can compete with some of the more established vendors.
It's already one of the more popular menu items at Barron's location, he said, even though it's only been on the menu since Nov. 1.
"It's probably in the top three," he said. "People order at least three at a time."
That locals are crazy about them isn't news, but can the funky Sonoran dog win fans outside Sonora and Southern Arizona if it does indeed go national?
No less an authority than Janet Riley, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, admits she'd never even heard of Tucson's signature dog until this year and has yet to taste one. "But they sounded fantastic," she said.
Locally famous hot dogs have risen to national prominence. "You look at certain types of dogs, the Chicago dog for instance," Riley said, "and now you see them all over the country.
"There is a trend toward ethnic and spicy foods, and I think the Sonoran dog has that going for it."
However, to some extent, taste in hot dogs can be extremely local. "People want their hot dogs prepared for them the way they had growing up," Riley said. "They're like the hometown baseball team."
At El Güero Canelo, 5201 S. 12th Ave., which is something of a Sonoran hot dog mecca, lunch-goers offered their perspective on Wienerschnitzel's big move.
"This is the only place I eat them," said Jason Kyle. "I may try it. Maybe."
Dick Smith, who lives in Green Valley with his wife, Margi, said he's became something of a Sonoran hot-dog connoisseur, trying them all over after he saw El Güero Canelo featured on the Travel Channel.
Wienerschnitzel is smart for trying it, said Smith, "but I don't think they can compete locally." The Missouri native did have tips for how Wienerschnitzel might plug the dog outside Arizona.
"They gotta kick the fact that it's wrapped in bacon," he said. "Call it a bacon dog. And tell them it's spicy, but not too spicy."
"And when you take it apart you go, 'Oh really?" Margi Smith added. "But when you put it together, the flavors melt together."
As Wienerschnitzel tries to break into the Sonoran dog business, the Smiths said they will stay devoted El Güero Canelo fans.
"I must have sent 40 people here," Dick Smith said. "Have you had one? Why are they so good?"
Did you know
Sonoran hot dogs have never been hotter.
The New York Times. National Public Radio. Bon Appétit magazine. "CBS Sunday Morning." Two Travel Channel shows ("Man v. Food" and "Food Wars"). In the last year, all came to Tucson to sample the delicious dogs that have become our signature snack.
Contact reporter Alex Dalenberg at adalenberg@azstarnet.com or 807-8429.
