Vienna Beef Inc. is the main manufacturer of the hot dog used in the classic

Chicago-style hot dog A Chicago-style hot dog, Chicago Dog, or Chicago Red Hot is an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois. The hot dog is topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pick ...

, as well as

Polish sausage Kielbasa (, ; from Polish ) is any type of meat sausage from Poland and a staple of Polish cuisine. In American English the word typically refers to a coarse, U-shaped smoked sausage of any kind of meat, which closely resembles the ''Wiejska'' ...

and

Italian beef An Italian beef sandwich, originating in Chicago, is composed of thin slices of seasoned roast beef, simmered and served on a long French roll. The sandwich's history dates back at least to the 1930s. The bread itself is, at the diner's prefer ...

, delicacies of independent Chicago-style hot dog and beef stands. The company also produces a variety of

deli meat Lunch meats—also known as cold cuts, luncheon meats, cooked meats, sliced meats, cold meats, sandwich meats, and deli meats—are precooked or cured meats that are sliced and served cold or hot. They are typically served in sandwiches or on ...

s, some of which are available at

Chicago area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hi ...

supermarkets. The company's headquarters is at the intersection of

Elston Elston is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England, to the south-west of Newark, and a mile from the A46 Fosse Way. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 Census was 631. It lies between the rivers Trent and Devon ...

, Damen, and Fullerton Avenues in the city, on the

Chicago River The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...

. The company has been located in Chicago since the

Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

of 1893. Originally, factory was in the same building as the headquarters. In 2016, the factory was relocated to 1000 W. Pershing Road in Chicago's

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

neighborhood.

History

Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany emigrated from

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in the 1890s. During the

they sold

hot dog A hot dog (uncommonly spelled hotdog) is a food consisting of a grilled or steamed sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced Hot dog bun, bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener (Vienna sausag ...

s to the many visitors of the Exposition. In 1894, Reichel and Ladany opened a storefront on Halsted Avenue on Chicago's West Side. In 1900, Vienna Beef began to sell and deliver to other stores and restaurants in Chicago. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, a number of Vienna Beef vendors begin advertising that their hot dogs have a "salad on top," giving rise to the traditional

. In 1950, Vienna Beef distribution spread to other Midwestern states, and in the 1960s, Vienna Beef began selling in supermarkets. Chicago-style hot dog

Henry Davis (1904–1974), a one time VP of sales, was instrumental in making Vienna Beef ''the'' Chicago hot dog. Henry was honored by Vienna Beef, the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois for his contributions in helping create Chicago's independent hot dog stands. There is a permanent collection of documents, photos and memorabilia in the Chicago Historical Society Archives called the ''"Henry Davis Collection"'' that was inaugurated in 1989.

Revenue

Vienna Beef's revenue for the year 2015 was estimated to be $130 million.

References

External links

*{{official
Meet the real sausage king of Chicago
Brand name hot dogs Hot dog restaurants in the United States Food and drink companies based in Chicago Manufacturing companies based in Chicago Sausage companies of the United States 1893 establishments in Illinois Food and drink companies based in Illinois