Hey! Hot Dog's Italian Sausage: 'I Think They're Really Good'

JOLIET — Since 1978, the Hey! Hot Dog restaurant on Joliet's west side has been known for its grilled hot dogs, its frosty mug root beer, its Polish sausage and homemade barbecue sandwiches. But in recent weeks, a giant new sign popped up along Ruby Street, strategically placed right in front of the entrance door for Hey! Hot Dog.

You can't miss the sign if you are driving west along Ruby Street toward the Six Corners intersection at Raynor Avenue.

The sign lets motorists there is another food not listed on the regular menu board that's now available, usually three days a week, according to Hey! Hot Dog owner B.J. Uedelhofen.

The sign reads, "ITALIAN SAUSAGE Includes Red Marinara, Sauteed Bell Peppers and Onions."

Uedelhofen told Joliet Patch that because the Italian sausage is now being sold at least three days of the week, he hired a company to design the new "Italian Sausage" display sign. If the sign is outside in front of Hey! Hot Dog, that means it's an Italian sausage day at the corner of Clement and Ruby Streets.

"I think they're really good. My customers tell me they are," Uedelhofen told Joliet Patch.

This week, customers can stop and order the Italian sausage on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which is Jan. 30, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, the owner said. Hey! Hot Dog is open Monday through Saturday, starting at 11 a.m.

Uedelhofen told Patch the Italian sausage comes from the butcher shop at the Mitchell's Grocery store on North Raynor Avenue. Traditionally, Mitchell's makes a spicy and a mild Italian sausage, he pointed out.

"I asked for a blend of the two and make it a medium," Uedelhofen explained. "I make the sauce myself. It's a red marinara sauce with bell peppers and sautéed onions and a little bit of seasoning.

"Mitchell's makes the meat fresh, and they have a good reputation, and we cook them fresh every day. Plus, with the Milano bun, is another good thing."

How well do the Italian sausages sell at Hey! Hot Dog?

"They sell out every day," Uedelhofen said.

Even though the Italian sausage is quickly becoming a new favorite for wintertime customers at Hey! Hot Dog, Uedelhofen wanted to remind everyone, "We don't do it every day. If the sign is up, we've got them. It's all fresh, not frozen. I don't want the Italian sausages to hang around. We're typically (selling) them three days a week. It's in addition to the grilled Polish. We have the grilled Polish every day of the week."

The Italian sausage is priced at $5.95 including the taxes while the regular hot dogs are $3.75 and the Polish sausage is $4.95, including the taxes.

Hey! Hot Dog remains one of Joliet's last cash-only restaurants. Hey! Hot Dog originally opened on the east side of Joliet, on Cass Street, in 1959.

"To be honest, I've never had a bad comment and the people buying them are coming back," Uedelhofen said of the Italian sausage. "We'll have them all year-round. The drive-up is starting to catch on and the older customers love it because they don't have to get out of their car."