Published on January 25th, 2012 | by Kim LaCapria
0Would You Spend $100 on a Hot Dog?
As the recession wears on and drags every formerly luxury-appreciative bit of excitement right out of us, things that were formerly considered a bit low-rent are getting polished up and primped with fancy makeovers in response to consumer interest in the accessible.
Food trucks are emerging as a notable alternative to restaurants in big cities, amassing a following like the hip eateries of yore. Cupcakes remain popular, semi-fancy and generally cheaper than a whole cake. And restaurants have done a swift trade in revamping cheapie classics to be a bit more luxurious than their regular offerings, but still cheaper than a fully-posh alternative.
Case in point, the DougieDog Hot Dogs’ Dragon Dog. At $100, this is not a Grey’s Papaya experience. But the Canadian weenie-slinger has put a bit more care and ingredient selection into the Dragon Dog, billed as the world’s most expensive hot dog and unseating a $69 hot dog currently on the menu at New York City’s Serendipity. And while flush diners of the early 00’s might have opted for a $500 steak dinner, this $100 hot dog features Kobe beef, lobster, and $2,000-a-bottle Louis XIII cognac, as well as truffle oil.
The owner of DougieDog, who a press release identifies as dougie luv (no caps) explained his motivation in inventing the high-priced hot dog:
“In designing this hot dog I wanted to come up with something super tasty and high-end that stays true to the traditional identity of the hot dog- a hot dog that any hot dog lover would enjoy.”
Still, dude, it’s a hot dog. And everyone knows you need to eat at least two of those or you get hungry in like an hour. Would you drop $100 on a hot dog, even if it does have lobster and fancy cognac?