11 Brands Behind Your Favorite Baseball Stadiums’ Hot Dogs

The line is, “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,” but when it comes to getting a snack at a baseball game, the hot dog may be top dog. Lots of sporting events have their signature food or beverage item, like the Honey Deuce cocktail for the U.S. Open or the pimento cheese sandwich that’s now a staple for the Masters Tournament, but nothing beats grabbing a hot dog at a baseball game.

At Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums across America, baseball fans chow down on nearly 20 million hot dogs within a single year, a tradition that goes back to the 1800s. A popular ballpark food for its convenience and affordability, the humble hot dog is now king of the concession stand, with lots of teams having their own signature styles like Dodger Dogs or Phillie Franks, as well as simple, grab-and-go sausage-and-bun options. 

With thousands of fans to feed in each stadium and millions of hungry mouths across the MLB fanbase, lots of stadiums work with major hot dog brands to meet demand. But many stadiums also prefer to partner with smaller, regional producers, reflecting pride and support for the local “home team” hot dog brand, so to speak. Next time you go out to a ball game, here are some of the hot dog brands you can find at MLB stadiums across the country.

Go to a grocery store or any number of baseball parks across the United States, and you’ll find a brand that’s synonymous with its namesake sport: Ball Park Franks. Owned by Tyson Foods, Ball Park Franks’ stylized branding and blue-yellow logo colors all scream “a day at the ballpark.” But this brand isn’t just an homage to baseball; it was created specifically for the MLB Detroit Tigers team.

In 1957, Hygrade Food Products, a Detroit-based meat packing company, was brought on to provide hot dogs for Tigers games at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium. The company’s hot dogs quickly caught on with fans and were a smash hit, gaining the official name Ball Park Franks in 1959. With expansion and different corporation acquisitions, Ball Park Franks expanded beyond Detroit to national grocery stores and ballparks, with options like prime beef, Angus beef, turkey, and classic. But of course, they’re still a staple at Tigers games, now played at Comerica Park.

Home to the Chicago-style hot dog, which is an all-beef frank served on a poppy seed bun with toppings like pickle spears, yellow mustard, and pickle relish, Chicago is one of the top cities for hot dog fans. And a large part of why Chicago is so famous for its hot dogs is because of one company: Vienna Beef. Founded in the 1890s by Emil Reichel and Sam Ladany, who moved to Chicago from Vienna, Austria, Vienna Beef has gone from a small business to a major hot dog producer, making millions in sales each year.

While you can get a Chicago-style hot dog at hot dog carts and eateries around the Windy City, it doesn’t get more Chi-Town than grabbing a Chicago hot dog at a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Naturally, Vienna Beef is the go-to hot dog used at Wrigley Field, sold from vendors across the stadium. But Vienna Beef has expanded to MLB stadiums beyond its hometown. You can also find them at Kauffman Stadium, home to the Kansas City Royals. But even though you’ll find Vienna Beef hot dogs at other MLB stadiums, getting to try one Chicago-style at a Cubs game is one of the classic MLB hot dog and ball game experiences.

Another one of the great Major League Baseball hot dog offerings is the Fenway Frank, served by Boston’s Fenway Park for Red Sox games. Served boiled and grilled in a split-top hot dog bun with customizable toppings, the Fenway Frank has likely been around nearly as long as Fenway Park itself, which first opened in 1912. As for the company currently behind the hot dog that fans still enjoy to this day, that’s Kayem Foods.

Founded by Polish immigrants Kazimierz and Helena Monkiewicz, the Boston-based Kayem Foods got its start in 1909, two years before Fenway Park even opened, making it a true Boston institution. For a century, the company grew and expanded in the Boston area, making meat products like deli meat, sausages, and bacon. Then, in 2009, Kayem became the official maker of Fenway Frank hot dogs, an honor the company still holds to this day. You can buy Kayem Fenway Franks at Fenway Park or find packaged options to make and enjoy at home.

One of the biggest hot dog brands in Major League Baseball is none other than the legendary Nathan’s Famous. Founded in 1916 on Coney Island, Nathan’s has become one of the top hot dog brands on the market, with numerous accolades, including once setting the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest hot dog.

Among its achievements, Nathan’s Famous was also declared the official hot dog of Major League Baseball in 2017. It was the first hot dog brand to receive this honor. As the official hot dog for the league, fans could find Nathan’s Famous hot dogs at stadiums for major teams like the Red, the Cardinals, the Mets, the Yankees, and the Marlins. As of this publication, Nathan’s is still widely used by MLB teams, available at Kansas City Monarchs games and Cardinals games at Busch Stadium. In true “hometown pride” spirit, they’re also still a staple at Yankee Stadium in New York City, located roughly an hour away from where Nathan’s Famous was first launched.

Even if you’re not a fan, catching a game at Yankee Stadium is a must. Located in the Bronx in New York City, it’s one of the most famous baseball parks in the league, having originally been opened in 1923. Seeing a baseball game at Yankee Stadium is a quintessential baseball experience, just like grabbing a hot dog, and along with Nathan’s Famous, there’s another regional hot dog brand you’ll find here: Sabrett.

Founded in 1948, Sabrett is a well-known hot dog brand from the New York City area. Walking around the City That Never Sleeps, you’ll likely see hot dog carts topped with an umbrella in the brand’s signature yellow and blue shades. Owned by Marathon Enterprises, which is a major provider of meat-related products around the metro area, Sabrett’s all-beef, natural-casing hot dogs are also a ballpark staple at Yankees games. You’ll find them in “classic” and “extra long” form at vendors around the stadium.

As one of the corporate sponsors for Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bar-S is also the official hot dog of the Diamondbacks. While watching a game, fans can chow down on value dogs for $2.99 or specialty options like a Sonoran Dog, which is a hot dog that’s been wrapped in bacon, loaded up with toppings like pinto beans, and served in a bolillo bun.

Even if you’re not a Diamondbacks fan or have never been to a game at Chase Field, you’re likely familiar with the Bar-S brand. This hot dog provider, which also makes other meat products like lunch meat, bacon, and sausages, is a major player in the hot dog space and, in 2020, celebrated 15 years as the top-selling hot dog in the United States. Its products are sold in stores across the United States, starting in 1981 from a factory in Seattle (which is where the brand gets its name, with ‘S’ meaning Seattle). So even if you can’t make it to Chase Field any time soon, you can still get a taste of a Diamondbacks game with a Bar-S frank, which comes in different varieties from beef to chicken to mixed-meat with pork and chicken.

Home of the Seattle Mariners, T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, is another MLB stadium that wows with its city views of the Seattle skyline. With a capacity for over 47,000 fans, it features a retractable roof that can be opened or closed depending on the weather, which is essential in a part of the country where rain is common. While watching the Mariners go up against rivals like the Angels, fans can satisfy their ballpark hot dog hankerings with a sausage from Fletcher’s, a regional meat purveyor.

Founded in 1917, Fletcher’s was first started across the border in Vancouver, Canada, before expanding into the United States in the 1980s. Finding a strong market in Seattle, the company became the official hot dog of the Seattle Mariners between 1990 and 1999. After a hiatus, Fletcher’s once again is one of the go-to hot dog providers for T-Mobile Park and the Seattle Mariners, selling beef franks at concessions stands throughout the stadium. They do share the spotlight with Hempler’s, another local brand that makes the official smoked sausage of the Seattle Mariners and is the brand behind the team’s viral “Hot Dogs from Heaven” stunt where hot dogs were floated down into the stadium on miniature parachutes.

Befitting its home in one of the most diverse cities in the country, Dodger Stadium offers a true “eat your way around the world” experience. There’s sushi and takoyaki, Korean fried chicken, carne asada tacos, birria, barbecue…the list goes on and on. But there will always be one concessions staple at a Dodgers game, and that’s a Dodger Dog. In fact, the Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the top teams for iconic hot dog sales in the league, ranking as high as number one some years.

The Dodger Dog has evolved over the years. Invented in the mid-1900s by concession stand manager Thomas Arthur, for much of its history, the Dodger Dog was made by local California meat purveyor Farmer John. In the 1950s, Farmer John became the official hot dog provider for the Dodgers and started selling packs for at-home enjoyment in the 1970s. But that era came to an end in 2021 when Cantella’s, another California-based company, took over as the official hot dog maker of Dodger Dogs. Cantella’s (also known as Papa Cantella’s) pork hot dogs are made in the city of Vernon in the Los Angeles area, allowing Dodgers fans to support another local, LA-based brand while at Dodgers games. Cantella’s also sells its signature Dodger Dogs at local southern California grocery stores, but nothing beats a Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium.

One of the most iconic signature hot dogs within Major League Baseball, the Phillies Frank is the namesake hot dog of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play out of Citizens Bank Park. Hailed as one of the best teams in the game, the Phillies are renowned for their devoted fan base and eccentric mascot (the wild, wacky, and playful Phillie Phanatic). The Phillies Frank is a part of that strong Phillies culture and lifestyle, and it’s not a Phillies Frank without a Hatfield hot dog.

Founded in Pennsylvania, Hatfield has been providing the Philadelphia area with meat products since the late 1800s. A true hometown staple, Hatfield now offers all sorts of pork and meat dishes like hot dogs, bacon, tenderloins, and more. For the classic Phillies Frank, an all-beef hot dog is used, with fans getting to personalize their dogs with their choice of toppings or going for Jumbo Phillies Franks. Hatfield also sells packages of their Phillies Beef Franks in stores, splashed with “The Official Frank of the Phillies” across the front of the packaging, so fans can get the ballpark taste and flavor at home. In the past, Hatfield has also provided the hot dogs for another East Coast MLB team, the Washington Nationals.

Enjoying a hot dog while watching a ball game shouldn’t solely be the purview of meat-eaters. Luckily, MLB stadiums are getting on board and offering more vegetarian and vegan-friendly fare, which includes veggie hot dogs. One of the stadiums making sure all guests can find a hot dog that suits their dietary preferences or restrictions is Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.

Sitting right on the edge of San Francisco Bay, facing Oakland, Oracle Park has one of the best views from an MLB stadium in the entire country. As fans watch the Giants hit home runs and round the bases, the Bay Bridge, San Francisco Skyline, and sparkling waters of the bay offer the perfect backdrop for an afternoon at the ballpark. There is no shortage of spots around the stadium to grab a hot dog, like Doggie Diner, a former local fast food joint that now serves hot dogs at Giants games, and many offer vegetarian dogs from Field Roast.

First founded in 1997 in Seattle, Field Roast is a plant-based meat purveyor that got into the sports game starting in 2011, serving its frankfurter at Seattle Mariners games. Two years later, its plant-based Field Burger was rolled out at football and baseball stadiums. As of this publication, you’ll find Field Roast’s Veggie Dog at concession stands around Oracle Park, allowing non-meat-eaters to get in on the hot dog fun.

Among the top things to do in San Diego — visit the San Diego Zoo, check out the sea lions at Point La Jolla, and eat and drink your way through the historic Gaslamp Quarter — catching a San Diego Padres game at Petco Park is high on the list. Located in the downtown area within walking distance of the Embarcadero Marine Park, this nearly 40,000-capacity venue serves up stunning skyline views, tons of fun baseball action, and Hebrew National hot dogs.

Among ballpark classics and “Taste of San Diego” regional specialties like tacos that reflect San Diego’s melting-pot food culture, Petco Park’s food and beverage offerings also include kosher-friendly hot dogs from Hebrew National, available at different concession locations throughout the stadium. Currently owned by ConAgra Foods, Hebrew National started out as an independent company founded in Manhattan in 1905. Helmed by Theodore Krainin, who emigrated to the United States from what is now Belarus in the former Russian empire, Hebrew National’s specialty is hot dogs and sausages that align with kashrut dietary laws for the Jewish people. The hot dogs are made with 100% kosher beef, plus an original blend of spices, and are a hit with ballpark-goers of all backgrounds, not just those who dine on kosher fare.