Fast Casual’s Only Hot Dog Concept in 2014’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers List Reveals its Secret List of Outrageous Toppings that Make Any Hot Dog Top Dog
JJ’s Red Hots has some advice for anyone planning to celebrate National Hot Dog Day on Wednesday, July 23: status quo has got to go.
The Charlotte-based Hot Dog King, which recently raised some national eyebrows when it made Fast Casual’s 2014 Top 100 Movers & Shakers list, today released its study, based on the past year’s sales data, guest feedback and social media impact, of its best-selling Top Ten Most Outrageous Hot Dog Toppings, just in time for National Hot Dog Day on Wednesday .
The Top Ten Most Outrageous Toppings were selected from JJ’s popular “Dog of the Week” program, in which it enlists local businesses, fans and even celebrities to design the Hot Dog of their dreams.
‘As you can tell from this list, we have fun around here. The sky is the limit, from the name of the Hot Dog to the ingredients we choose,” said JJ’s owner and founder Jonathan Luther. “We started with really simple ideas, but as things began to steamroll, we got more adventurous, and our guests responded, which is obviously very important. So now we feel like we have total freedom. Future ideas include ingredients such as: Kim Chi, Jamaican Jerk Sauce, Chimichurri, Various Salsas and Hummus, to name just a few.”
JJ’s, which was the smallest and youngest brand on the Fast Casual list and the only Hot Dog/Sausage concept to make the cut says America loves their Hot Dogs with the following outrageous toppings, in order of popularity:
10) House-made Pimento Cheese featured on the The Big Cheesy
9) Jalapeno Corn Salsa featured on the Maized and Confused
8) Smoked Amber BBQ Sauce featured on the Beer B Q (a collaboration with Triple C Brewing)
7) Sage and Andouille Stuffing featured on the Franksgiving
6) Pineapple Salsa featured on the Maui Gold
5) Smoked Jalapeno Ketchup featured on the Put That In Your Pipe
4) Scrambled Eggs featured on the Britney Cason’s Breakfast Dog (as featured in USA Today)
3) Peanut Butter featured on the Weiner the Pooh
2) Sweet Potato Hash featured on the Yam I Am
1) Mac & Cheese featured on the The Mac Daddy
“We’re just getting started in terms of creativity,” said JJ’s director of marketing and brand development Brandy Newton, who tracks the guest reaction to each Hot Dog on the brand’s social media channels and evaluates guest submissions for Dog of the Week. “Our goal is to keep creating joy with our world-class Hot Dogs. We listen to our partners and guests and they have had some amazing ideas this past year. Would I have guessed Scrambled Eggs would make the list and the Hot Dog would be featured in USA Today? Probably not, but we love it! The people have spoken and we are here for them.”
JJ’s currently has two locations in Charlotte: Dilworth and Ballantyne. JJ’s plans to open its first location on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton this summer with a customized menu and a special FAU DOG that will be designed specifically for the public university.
JJ’s Red Hots is the premier purveyor of “hand-crafted” char-grilled hot dogs and sausages in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The restaurant concept is built on solid, hardworking values and is modeled after venerable establishments like Ted’s in Buffalo, NY, Gene and Jude’s in Chicago, and many others. Still, JJ’s is a true American original featuring house-made, scratch prepared sides and toppings served alongside time tested, revered American brands like Tabasco, Weber’s Mustard, Martin’s Rolls, Coca-Cola and Mt. Olive Pickles. Perhaps most proudly, JJ’s Red Hots serves smokehouse hot dogs from Sahlen’s Meat Packing Company in Buffalo, NY. Sahlen’s is a 143 year-old company that remains family owned and operated, and makes, in our opinion, the best hot dogs in the world.
