Hot Dog Bar

Updated: May 22, 2020 by MomsWhoThink Staff | Leave a comment

The Ultimate Hot Dog Bar

Set Up the Ultimate American Hot Dog Bar

Hot Dogs are one of our national favorite foods. During peak hot dog season, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs. That’s 818 hot dogs consumed every second during that period. On Independence Day, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times.

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans purchase 350 million pounds of hot dogs at retail stores – that's 9 billion hot dogs! If you include the number of hot dogs Americans may eat at sporting events, local picnics and carnivals, the total climbs to close to 20 billion hot dogs a year – or about 70 hot dogs per person each year.

Since hot dogs are served in 95 percent of homes in the United States, it's a sure bet you'll have a guest pleasing main dish at your next barbecue by serving them. There's no better way to celebrate than to set up a hot dog bar!

A couple tips:

• Use disposable bowls to hold all the fixings and disposable aluminum trays to hold the cooked hot dogs and rolls.

• Place a few large spoonfuls of classic side salads into small bowls to double as toppings.

• Cook anything that isn't already prepared the day before (like chili, sautéed onions, and grilled toppings).

• Group like items together, along with an index sized place card with the instructions for making each style of hot dog. Freestyles can mix and match from the different groups.

Below, directly from the Hot Dog Council, are the variations that are famous in different regions of the country. Pick and choose your favorites and the ingredients that go with them, along with corn chips, potato chips, and a couple other side salads that can double as toppings.