CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTHR) — Happy Fourth of July! Independence Day is the most popular hot dog day of the year. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC), Americans eat 150 million hot dogs on this day — enough to stretch from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles more than five times.
But it's not just today. the NHDSC says Memorial Day to Labor Day is peak hot dog season. And Americans eat 7 billion hot dogs during that period — more than 800 per second.
Americans clearly love hot dogs, but when it comes to toppings, there is always debate. Yellow or spicy mustard? All the veggies or just condiments? And for the love of Chicago, KETCHUP DOESN'T GO ON HOT DOGS, right?
JJ's Red Hots likes to chime in on the debate every Fourth of July with its annual Top Ten Hot Dog Toppings list. JJ's is a hot dog-centric restaurant in North Carolina. While some of the list can probably be attributed to regional preference, it has been featured on the Food Networks "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," so it has some credibility.
The restaurant has been publishing the list since 2013 by collecting data from the previous. Here is the 2018 list of favorites:
- Mustard
- Chili
- Relish
- Sauerkraut
- Onions
- cheese
- Bacon
- Tomatoes
- Salsa
- Ketchup
So while Chicagoans and fans of Chicago hot dogs will rejoice mustard in the top spot, there's no doubt many still enjoy tomato products on their dogs with tomatoes, salsa and ketchup rounding out the list.