Just moved from San Diego about 1.5 years ago. Lived there for 20 years, but was born and raised in Chicago (32nd and Racine). On March 1, wife and I opened a Vienna hot dog joint in the Latta Arcade at 320 S. Tryon called Woody’s. It’s a franchise, because we didn’t know diddly about food operations. It’s a lunch deal only, Mon-Fri from about 10:30a.m. until about 2:20p.m. There are 4 other food joints in there with us, and we all have the same hours. We serve regular and Jumbo Vienna franks, spicy and regular Polish, Italian sausage and beef sandwiches (yes, we dip), Supreme tamales and brats. Started w/chips and just added fries.

There’s another Vienna joint up the street, but he claims a Chicago dog can be "grilled," showing he’s not really from Chicago as he claims, but from a faraway suburb as he admitted once. Plus, our beef is from Vienna in Chicago as are our popyseed buns and all the condiments. The other guy gets his beef and some other stuff locally, which in my opinion, moves away from an authentic "Chicago joint."

As an aside, once he found out we were opening, he started claiming to his customers and anyone that would listen that we were "infringing" on his territory, because his Vienna distributor lied to him that he would be the exclusive Vienna seller in Charlotte, I guess in order to get his account. He didn’t realize that there was a Vienna cart or stand on almost every other corner in Chicago at one time, and no one gets an "exclusive" on Vienna anywhere. He should take his "born and raised in Chicago" blurb off his menu, because obviously he wasn’t. He told his distributor (IFH) that he would cancel his account if they sold to us, so they won’t. But, we can’t be bothered with his petty B.S, because there’s plenty for everyone in Uptown Charlotte and we wish everyone well.