Hot dogs ditch bad rap and go gourmet

Jordan Fee slides a sleek, grilled hot dog onto a toasted egg bun. He then smothers it with Korean-style beef ribs, kimchispicy pickled vegetablesand scallions. To top it all off: sesame seeds.

"This is the Frankie'sgot Seoul,"announces the cook, adding, "'Seoul'as in Korea. Kind of an east Asian flare to it."

The colourful creation is just one of 15 varieties at Fancy Franks, a growing gourmet hot dog chain in Toronto.

Newbie customerDeidra Mayers dives into a Texas-style dog with Cajun spiced onions, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese and chipotle mayo.

"It's like a party, like salsa dancing in your mouth,"she declares after her first bite.

Elegant hautedog

The foodies have discovered a freshmake-over project and this time, it's the humble and sometimes even reviled hot dog. It's movedoff the streets and found a new look and newhome at quick service restaurants popping up across Canada.

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At Fancy Franks, staples like mustard and ketchup are overshadowed by exotic toppings such as horseradish cheddar, arugula, fried shrimp, and honey Dijon mayo. Depending on what you order, the dog may come wrapped in prosciutto or a couple of fried eggs with hollandaise sauce.

Owner Angelos Economopoulosstarted the chain in 2012 and a couple months ago unveiled his third location. He now plans to expand to other parts of Ontario. "It is booming for us. The hot dog business is good right now," he says.

As the business grows, so does the competition. Another gourmet hot dog eatery,Let's Be Frank, recently opened in the same neighbourhood. And a second competitor, Smoke's Weinerie, is moving in just up the street.

The owner, Ryan Smolkin, is the founder of the Smoke's Poutinerie chain. Now he has bigger ambitions, decidingthe time is ripe to branch off into gourmet hot dogs. He has already opened one Smoke's Weinerie in Halifax and plans to unveil at least 15 more franchise locations across Canada over the next four months.

Burgers are so old. Burgers are so like 2009.- Ryan Smolkin, Smoke's Weinerie

His menu items include a deli-style dog with Montreal smoked meat and sauerkraut and a "PBJ" with the unusual combination of peanut butter, jelly, sauteed mushroomsand smoked bacon.

"It's just the excitement of taking something that's old and kind of standard and just twisting and turning it into something new and exciting,"says Smolkin about the growing gourmet hot dog business.

"Burgers are so old. Burgers are so like 2009,"he adds about the recent gourmet hamburger craze that has swept Canadian cities.

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Goodbye, mystery meat

The wiener's exciting new look is precisely what's driving the new trend, says Robert Carter with market research companyNPD Group. The food service expert explains many customers today are searching for new and innovative menu items when dining out and, right now, the hot dog is the next big thing.

According to his research, in 2014Canadians ate 75 million hot dogs when out on the town. That's up from 71 million in 2012.

And the best is yet to come. Carter predicts that over the next five yearsCanadians will double the number of hot dogs they devour outside the home.

"I expect we'll see some very strong growth for the hot dog as they continue to premiumize and make the product much more upscale,"he says.

The classic wiener has a long history of being down-scale. Which is why, explains Carter, the gourmet version is still a largely untapped market.

Who doesn't have uncomfortable memories of the often vilified mystery-meat dog on a bland white bun?

It's an image Fancy Franks is working hard to shake.

OwnerEconomopoulossays he buys his hot dogs from a local butcher, containing 100 per cent shoulder cut beef in a lamb casing. "It's not throw it all in there and see what you get."

These dogs come at a price

Hesays once customers get a taste of a hot dog's potential, chances are they'll be back.

"The main thing is to get them in the door," explainsEconomopoulos. Once customers enter, he then has to convince them to pay between $6.50 to $9 for most of his upscale dogs. That's typically at least double what you'd pay for one at the street vendor.

Claudia Filipskytook the bait and isnow a regular at Fancy Franks. "They were boiled and like nasty or really, really charred,"she recalls about the hot dogs of her youth. She says the gourmet version "just brings it to a whole new world of hot dogs."

On this day, she is trying her first Frankie Goes to Buffalo, a deep fried dog with chicken bacon, celery, carrots, blue cheese dressingand, of course, Buffalo wing sauce.

"It's great,"Filipsky declares after her first bite. "It's a little bit spicy for my tastes but I'm still doing it anyways. It's so much going on but it's so worth it."

New customerEmmet Mellow came to Fancy Franks on a whim, ordering a Chicago style dog with tomatoes, onions, pickles, pepperoncini and celery salt.

He, too, appears to be hooked. "Very tasty stuff. The celery salt is a nice touch. Who knew?"he says while devouring his lunch. "It's like another level of hot dog."