Superdawg
Encyclopedia
Superdawg is a drive-in
hot dog
stand with carhop
service located at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue
, Devon Avenue
, and Nagle Avenue in the Norwood Park
neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois
. Superdawg has the distinction of being one of the few original drive-in restaurant
s left in the United States
. Its methods have been the same since it opened in the 1940s.
Superdawg was featured on The Food Network's
television program Unwrapped
as well as Emeril Live
and has been visited by many critics and food aficionados. Superdawg is also listed in the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die
. Additionally, Superdawg remains a favorite with locals and attracts locals on a regular basis.
In 2003, a second Superdawg was opened in Chicago Midway International Airport's B concourse
serving Southwest Airlines
. It closed in 2010 when a third location opened on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling, IL on January 28, 2010.
with a tray that hooks on to the car door. 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.
es come with crinkle cut french fries inside a box that helps retain its heat. Every Superdawg comes with a signature pickled green tomato (some think is a green tomatillo, but are wrong), one of Superdawg's distinctions from the classic Chicago-style hot dog
, along with its spicier-than-usual wiener.
hot dog eatery named Superdog when it refused to comply. The Superdawg trademark was registered in 1984.
Drive-in
A drive-in is a facility such as a bank, restaurant, or movie theater where one can literally drive in with an automobile for service. It is usually distinguished from a drive-through. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk out...
hot dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
stand with carhop
Carhop
A carhop is a waiter or waitress who brings food to people in their cars at drive-in restaurants. Usually car hops work on foot but sometimes use rollerskates. The popularity of movies such as American Graffiti and shows like Happy Days created a misconception of carhops as exclusively roller...
service located at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue
Milwaukee Avenue (Chicago)
Milwaukee Avenue is a major diagonal street in the city of Chicago and the northern suburbs. True to its name, it once led to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Starting with a short section at N. Canal and W. Lake Streets, it begins in earnest at the corner of N Desplaines and W. Kinzie Streets...
, Devon Avenue
Devon Avenue (Chicago)
Devon Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in the Chicago metropolitan area. It begins at Chicago's Sheridan Road, which borders Lake Michigan, and it runs west until merging with Higgins Road near O'Hare International Airport. Devon continues on the opposite side of the airport and runs...
, and Nagle Avenue in the Norwood Park
Norwood Park, Chicago
Norwood Park is one of 77 well-defined Chicago, Illinois community areas. It encompasses the smaller neighborhoods of Big Oaks, Norwood Park East, Norwood Park West, Old Norwood Park, Oriole Park, and Union Ridge....
neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Superdawg has the distinction of being one of the few original drive-in restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s left in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its methods have been the same since it opened in the 1940s.
Superdawg was featured on The Food Network's
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
television program Unwrapped
Unwrapped
Unwrapped is an American television program on Food Network that reveals the origins of foods. It first aired in June 2001 and is hosted by Marc Summers. The show leads viewers on tours of factories and other food-related locations. Popular subjects include candy, breakfast cereal, snacks, and TV...
as well as Emeril Live
Emeril Live
Emeril Live is a program on The Cooking Channel hosted by Emeril Lagasse. It formerly aired on Food Network and Fine Living.Emeril Live features many of the same elements as Emeril's other program, Essence of Emeril, and often has a Creole theme...
and has been visited by many critics and food aficionados. Superdawg is also listed in the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die
1,000 Places to See Before You Die
1,000 Places to See Before You Die is a 2003 travel book by Patricia Schultz.Among the "1,000 places" in the book are historic ones such as Robert Louis Stevenson's home in Western Samoa and the trail of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the United States, cultural ones such as the Oregon...
. Additionally, Superdawg remains a favorite with locals and attracts locals on a regular basis.
In 2003, a second Superdawg was opened in Chicago Midway International Airport's B concourse
Concourse
A concourse is a place where pathways or roads meet, such as in a hotel, a convention center, a railway station, an airport terminal, a hall, or other space.-Examples:Examples of concourses include:* Meeting halls* Universities* Railway stations...
serving Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
. It closed in 2010 when a third location opened on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling, IL on January 28, 2010.
History
Superdawg was opened in May 1948 by Maurie and Flaurie Berman, who still own and operate it today with the help of their children. Although the restaurant has undergone some expansion and remodeling, the landmark figures of anthropomorphic hot dogs "Maurie & Flaurie" on the roof date from the beginning.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. The orders are delivered to the car window by a carhopCarhop
A carhop is a waiter or waitress who brings food to people in their cars at drive-in restaurants. Usually car hops work on foot but sometimes use rollerskates. The popularity of movies such as American Graffiti and shows like Happy Days created a misconception of carhops as exclusively roller...
with a tray that hooks on to the car door. 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 food
All of the sandwichSandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
es come with crinkle cut french fries inside a box that helps retain its heat. Every Superdawg comes with a signature pickled green tomato (some think is a green tomatillo, but are wrong), one of Superdawg's distinctions from the classic Chicago-style hot dog
Chicago-style hot dog
A Chicago-style hot dog, or Chicago Dog, is a steamed or water-simmered all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois...
, along with its spicier-than-usual wiener.
Selections from the menu
Sandwiches
- Superdawg
- Whoopskidawg
- Supercheesie
- Superburger
- Supershrimp
- Superchic
- Superfish
- Supersteak
- Chicken Midges
- Grilled Chesse
Trademark disputes
The restaurant has succeeded in asking "dozens" of restaurants to cease using similar names, but in 2009 sued a New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
hot dog eatery named Superdog when it refused to comply. The Superdawg trademark was registered in 1984.
See also
- Chicago-style hot dogChicago-style hot dogA Chicago-style hot dog, or Chicago Dog, is a steamed or water-simmered all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois...
- Sonic Drive-InSonic Drive-InSonic Drive-In is an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, complete with carhops who sometimes wear rollerskates. As of August 31, 2010, there were 3,500 restaurants in 43 U.S. states. Sonic serves approximately 3 million customers daily.-1950s:Following...
, A modernized carhop fast food establishment. - Dog n SudsDog n SudsDog n Suds is a midwestern United States chain of root beer and hot dog drive-in style eateries with the once popular and now rare form of in-car "carhop" delivery service. The chain was created in Champaign, Illinois, by school teachers James Griggs and Don Hamacher. Licensing rights are now...
, a traditional drive-in chain in the Midwestern United States which offers a similar menu.