Generally speaking, the bun in which a Chicago-style hot dog is laid must be poppy seed. The relish should be neon and the salt, celery. Vienna Beef is considered the standard-bearer for the frankfurter. Though the city’s myriad hot dog vendors take their liberties here and there, swapping regular relish for neon or a green tomato for a red one, one rule is ironclad: no ketchup.
If the toppings on a Chicago dog have been relative constants over the years, the price of them has not. Old-timers may remember when they could pay for their Chicago dogs with coins instead of bills; the Tribune archives recall a Depression-era deal of a hot dog and fries from Fluky’s for 5 cents, or four for those who couldn’t spare the extra penny.
But inflation takes its toll, now more than ever. The tab on a Chicago dog is up, just like it is on rent and groceries and plane tickets and school supplies.
