Fluky's

Fluky's is a Chicago-area fast food restaurant and mail-order food purveyor known for hot dogs.^[1]

History

Fluky's began in Chicago in 1929 on Maxwell and Halsted Streets. Founded by Abe Drexler, the original stand is self acknowledged as the originator of the Chicago-style hot dog.^[2][3] They sold what was known as a "Depression Sandwich," a frankfurter on a bun with mustard, pickle relish, onion, dill pickle, hot peppers, lettuce and tomatoes, accompanied by french fries, for 5 cents.^[1] Today, Fluky's hot dog doesn't come with lettuce, but is much the same.

Still owned by the Drexler family, Fluky's maintains a stand in a Wal-Mart in Niles. The one-time chain had dwindled by the time the last city of Chicago Fluky's, 6821 N. Western Ave., changed its name to U Lucky Dawg on February 14, 2006; that site had been owned by a licensee for the previous ten years.^[2] A later location in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, was open only a short time.

In the intro to the third season of the sitcom Roseanne, the daughter Darlene is seen wearing a Fluky's t-shirt; also, Season 2 Episode 14 Becky is wearing the t-shirt.

References

1. Fluky's website
2. Zeldes, Leah A. (31-MAR-06). "New name, same good dogs at landmark stand". Daily Herald (goliath.ecnext.com). Retrieved 2008-05-13. Check date values in: |date= (help) When the Fluky's sign on Western Avenue came down in February, a lot of hot-dog lovers' hearts sank. This was the only freestanding location and the last city site of the venerable wiener purveyor that, most agree, originated the Chicago-style hot dog back in the Depression.
3. Apple, R.W. (April 14, 2004). "A TASTE OF CHICAGO: Stand-Up Food in a City of Big Appetites". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-13. Fluky's, which claims to have invented the salad-laden dog on Maxwell Street in Depression-ridden 1929, when it sold for a nickel