Superdawg is a drive-inhot dog stand with carhop service.[1][2] It is located in the Norwood Park neighborhood of Chicago, at the intersection of Milwaukee, Devon, and Nagle Avenues. Superdawg has the distinction of being one of the few original drive-in restaurants left in the United States. Its methods have been the same since it opened in 1948. A second, similar location on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling, Illinois opened in 2010.[3]
Superdawg was opened in May 1948 by Maurie and Flaurie Berman, and it is still owned and operated by their family. Although the restaurant has undergone some expansion and remodeling, the landmark figures of anthropomorphic hot dogs "Maurie and Flaurie" on the roof date from the beginning.[6][7]
A Superdawg location in Midway Airport's B concourse operated from 2003-2010. Another Superdawg restaurant opened on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling, Illinois in 2010.[3][8]
Superdawg has succeeded in asking a number of restaurants to cease using similar names, and successfully sued a New York City hot dog eatery named Superdog when it refused to comply.[9][10] The Superdawg trademark was registered in 1984.[11]
In 2014, Superdawg collaborated with Lake Effect Brewing Company, a Chicago craft brewery, to create a lager-style beer called Super Bier.[12]
Maurie Berman died on May 17, 2015.[13][14] His wife Flaurie died May 1, 2018.[15]
In June 2015, the Unicode Consortium added a hot dog to the list of officially recognized emoji. In September 2015, Apple made the symbol available on its phones and computers with the release of the iOS 9 operating system. Superdawg was a leader in the effort to establish the hot dog emoji.[16][17]
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. Each cashier responds to the customer's call through the speaker box with the greeting, "Hiya, thanks for stopping. May I take your order, please?" The orders are delivered to the car window by a carhop with a tray that hooks on to the half-open car window. 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 there are a few tables and benches outside the restaurant. The Wheeling location has a large indoor seating area.
The food
The hot dog and French fries are served together in a distinctive cardboard box.
All of the sandwiches come with crinkle-cut french fries inside a box that helps retain its heat. Every Superdawg comes with a signature pickled green tomato,[18] one of Superdawg's distinctions from the classic Chicago-style hot dog, along with its spicier-than-usual wiener. They care about the distinction between a regular red hot as it says on their menu, "not a red hot- not a frankfurter - not a wiener - but our exclusive... Superdawg."[1] Among several other items, they also sell double-cheeseburgers called "Whoopercheesies" and diced ice cream. Superdawg is also known to never put ketchup on any of their hot dogs. If customers ask for ketchup, it is provided on the side.
