Superdawg Drive-In celebrates 75 years in Chicago
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Superdawg founders Maurie and Flaurie Berman as hot dogs (left) and as 1940s high school sweethearts in Albany Park. Photos courtesy of Steffie Drucker.
Superdawg turns 75 years old tomorrow.
Why it matters: The iconic drive-in hot dog stand on the Northwest Side has fueled happy memories for legions of Chicagoans over the decades — including a young Monica, who would save the box and smell it for weeks.
What's happening: Rep. Mike Quigley entered the anniversary into the Congressional Record last week, and Ald. Samantha Nugent will unveil a street sign for late founders Maurie and Flaurie Berman on Tuesday at 2pm, with a cake cutting to follow.
Plus: Both Superdawg locations (on Milwaukee Avenue and in Wheeling) will give away $10 gift cards at random this month.
The latest: To celebrate, the Bermans' granddaughter Steffie Drucker shared fun facts about Superdawg with Axios, including:
- A scene for "16 Candles" was filmed there but ended up on the cutting-room floor.
- The drive-in's electronic ordering system was installed in 1954. Previously, staff came out to cars to take orders.
- Several staff members have worked there for more than two decades. "One manager was with us for 37 years. His wife was our bookkeeper, and they met at Superdawg."
Munchie mystery: Axios asked why Superdawg tops its dog with pickled green tomatoes and crinkles its fries.
- "My dad, Maurie, wanted something to make us unique … thus he opted to use the pickled green ones," Lisa Drucker tells Axios. "And to make our fries stand out, he designed a custom slicer that crinkle cuts all four sides of the fry so it's crispy but still soft in the center."