One Million Hot Dogs Later, Mustard Still Reigns Supreme, Says the Triple D Hot Dog Darling; Four Top Sellers Return for JJ’s Popular Dog of the Week Series
It’s decision day and with all due respect to LeBron, the Queen City’s Hot Dog darling JJ’s Red Hots says mustard is the King and has five consecutive titles to prove it.
Just days after entertaining 2000 of its biggest fans as it celebrated the serving of its 1,000,000th Hot Dog, JJ’s, the national award-winning brand, today released its fifth annual study of the Top Ten Hot Dog Toppings, based on six years of the brand’s sales data and, of course, one million Hot Dogs served.
JJ’s, one of the rare Hot Dog-centric restaurants to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network, ranked the following toppings in time for National Hot Dog Month (July) and the brand’s sixth anniversary on July 4th, the most popular Hot Dog Day of the Year.
According to JJ’s, which has featured more than 350 toppings on its Hot Dogs since 2012 and has mastered close to 300 unique creations in its heralded Dog of the Week program, America loves their Hot Dogs with the following toppings, in order of preference:
- Mustard – most popular for five years running; eat that, Mr. James
- Chili – the Avis (we’re number 2, so we try harder …) of Hot Dog toppings
- Relish – on the rise from 5 last year
- Sauerkraut – up two spots and always steady
- Onions – down one; breath mint, anyone?
- Cheese – still popular with paired with mustard and chili but a little weaker when alone
- Bacon – number seven with a bullet, up two spots
- Tomatoes – new entry, even besting its offspring ketchup
- Salsa – new entry, one that makes you go Hmmm
- Ketchup – the personal pariah of both Dirty Harry and JJ’s founder and proprietor Jonathan Luther
“Every month is National Hot Dog Month at JJ’s. We do the classics better than anyone and everything on this list you’ll find in our restaurants,” said Luther. “Yet where we really shine is when we push the envelope and introduce guests to things they’ve never tried before. If you think you’ve tried it all, come back next week and we’ll prove you wrong.”
Need evidence? JJ’s is bringing back 4 of its most popular Hot Dogs, featuring each as its Dog of the Week, a program so original, it caught the eye of USA Today in a 2014 feature. And check out the unique ingredients on these great dogs:
Week of July 2 — Mac Daddy: Mac N Cheese, Borracho Beans, Diced Onions
Week of July 9 — #CLT Summer Dog: Queso, Fries, BBQ and house-made Rocket Sauce
Week of July 16 — Put That In Your Pipe: Smoked Cheddar, Bacon, Jalapeno Ketchup, Red Onion
Week of July 23 – Southern Girl’s Hotter Sister: Sriracha Brown Sugar Bacon, Cole Slaw, Hot Blonde Mustard, JJ’s Jalapeno Popper
Also, true to brand form of never missing an opportunity to party, JJ’s will celebrate additionally on the following days:
- July 4th – JJ’s 6th anniversary, $3 Chili Cheese Coneys, all day, all locations
- July 13th – National French Fry Day, $1 off Chili Cheese Fry baskets, all day, all locations
- July 18th – National Hot Dog Day (um, duh … aka JJ’s Red Hots Day), $2 All-American Hot Dog (relish, mustard and onions), all day, all locations
- July 26 – National Chili Dog Day, $2.99 Chili Cheese Coneys all day
“If you can think of anything else, let us know but you can #holdmybeer because #wegotthis,” quipped JJ’s chief brand officer and social media guru Bandy Newton. “After serving one million Hot Dogs, we’re starting to know our way around and we can’t wait to celebrate the entire month with our beloved friends and fans.”
JJ’s opened its first location in 2012 to much fanfare and fireworks (literally, they opened on July 4) and its Ballantyne location in 2013. JJ’s Uptown location opened January 3, 2018. Never really a well-kept secret due to winning all of Charlotte’s best Hot Dog honors for the past six years.
In addition to the Triple D segment, the brand made waves when it made Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers list for two years running. Most recently, JJ’s was named by Tabelog as One of The 10 Most Unique Hotdog Joints in America, was cited by Spoon University as The 50 Best Foods to Eat in Charlotte Before You Die and as one of the 10 Best Hot Dog Joints Across the State by North Carolina’s Our State magazine.
JJ’s Red Hots is the premier purveyor of “hand-crafted” char-grilled hot dogs and sausages with three locations and several portable vehicles 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 Weber’s Mustard, Martin’s Rolls, Cheerwine and Coca-Cola. Perhaps most proudly, JJ’s Red Hots serves smokehouse hot dogs from Sahlen’s Meat Packing Company in Buffalo, NY. Sahlen’s is a 146-year-old company that remains family owned and operated, and makes, in our opinion, the best hot dogs in the world.
