If you happened to walk by the intersection of North Milwaukee and West Belle Plaine avenues on Saturday afternoon, you may have heard a roaring, three-word chant.
Frank the Tank! Frank the Tank! Frank the Tank!
At least 1,000 people cheered on the reigning champion of the hot dog-eating contest at the annual Windy City Hot Dog Fest in Portage Park. By the time the announcer yelled “dogs down” at the end of the five-minute competition, ‘the Tank’ — aka Frank Wach — had put away 8 1/2 wieners.
He beat out four other contestants and took home the hot dog trophy for a third year.
“I feel great,” said Wach, 72, of Norwood Park. “I do it for the fun of it and just to show that I’m not that old.”
When asked how he was feeling after eating six hot dogs, runner-up Greg Bartusiak said, “Not great.”
“This isn’t something anyone should strive for, really,” said Bartusiak, 35, of Portage Park, as he sipped a can of Coke. “It’s either the crowning point of all of my achievements in life or the low point of all of my achievements in life.”
As thrilling as it was, the hot dog-eating contest is just a small part of the free festival, which opened Friday and continues Sunday, from noon to 10 p.m., at 4000 N. Milwaukee Ave. Organized by the Six Corners Chamber of Commerce, the event draws more than 10,000 attendees and raises between $50,000 and $75,000 in donations to benefit the neighborhood. Now in its fifth year, the gathering is known for showcasing diverse vendors from throughout the city while creating a sense of community among its attendees.
“We see people from multiple generations,” said event producer Hank Zemola, who is president and CEO of Special Events Management. “This event brings them all back together. I’ll see people I haven’t seen since I went to high school.”
A first-time attendee, Alesia Hushaw, 65, drove from south suburban Lansing to experience the event with her daughter and grandchildren.
“Chicago has a lot of outdoor stuff, and it just gets people out and enjoying the weather and each other,” she said.
Hushaw and her family set a goal to sample all 10 vendors by sharing one hot dog from each business and taking small bites.
“I just want to see what they have out here that’s different,” she said.
The vendors provided a wide variety of hot dogs, everything from pepperoni pizza dogs to bacon-wrapped wieners to tikka masala frankfurters. Known for its burgers, Bust Outs provides a special Fire Dog with spicy sriracha sauce. The Jefferson Park eatery also curates hot dogs based on Chicago Transit Authority train lines. This year’s offering was the Blue Dog, featuring hydroponic lettuce, blue balsamic onion jam, crumbled blue cheese and smoked cherrywood bacon.
Bust Outs’ owner, Angelo Pavilos, said festivals have helped the restaurant increase profits amid ongoing construction of the Foster Avenue Bridge over I-90.
“The Foster Bridge has caused us to lose some sales at the restaurant,” Pavilos said. “We do have a lot of support from the local neighborhood, but it takes people from West Jefferson Park 25 minutes to commute to the restaurant. We wanted to open a second brick-and-mortar, but couldn’t afford it, so we went with the more affordable route of doing festivals.”
Bust Outs is in the running to win people’s choice for best hot dog; attendees are able to vote all weekend by scanning a QR Code. In the past, Lee Concessions took the crown for its Banh Mi Hot Dog. Manager Austin Ly, of west suburban Forest Park, said the mix of cultures at the festival is a draw for attendees.
“Chicago’s a big melting pot,” he said. “I love the people here [at the fest].”
Portage Park resident Joshua Cisneros, 22, said he wanted to come to the fest for years, and was finally able to shift his work schedule to attend. He planned to judge each vendor on flavor and texture, including what he called the “snap” of the natural casing.
“For me, the hot dogs have to have the right texture with the snap, the right taste for the beef, and I’ve got to make sure the toppings don’t overwhelm,” he said.
Also in the running for best hot dog is Chicago’s Dog House, known for its Chicago Style Hot Dog and Chance the Snapper Alligator Sausage. This year, the restaurant, founded in Lincoln Park, offered a limited supply of kangaroo sausage.
But owner Aaron Wolfson said he was more concerned with operating the grill than winning.
“I’m just here to turn and burn,” he said.