Hillbilly Hotdogs comprises of two buses-turned-dining rooms and a number of shacks. The rustic, maximalist vibe denotes both pride and good-humored self-awareness of the restaurant's hillbilly identity.
Firehouse Subs is one of our favorite sandwich chains, ranking sixth out of 21 national sandwich chains. While they offer soups and salads, Firehouse Subs' sandwiches are what keep customers coming back time and time again. Ironically, Firehouse Subs began with an order that wasn't a sub, but a hot dog.
Kasper's Hot Dogs shut down both of its remaining locations in mid-October, one in Concord and the other on Oakland's MacArthur Boulevard. Started in 1929 in Oakland by Kasper Koojoolian, the brand has now gone from roughly a dozen outposts around the Bay down to zero - though Caspers Hot Dogs, another East Bay chain, is still seemingly doing fine.
One of the secrets to the best hot dog isn't the wiener, the toppings, or even the type of bread - it's simply steaming the bun. If you've ever gotten a hot dog from a street vendor, you've probably seen them place the buns in a covered steam tray. When it's ready, the bun is warm, soft, and perfectly chewy all the way through. There's really no comparison to a dry bun straight out of the bag.
