LEICESTER — Let’s be frank, there is something about that first hot dog of the season that ushers in the radiance of springtime. And on Route 56, visitors to Hot Dog Annie’s come from near and far for that first-bite feeling year-round.
Central Massachusetts as a whole is somewhat of a hot dog hotspot, with several iconic stands all within a few miles of one another. The proximity has inevitably fueled a highly contentious debate as to whom has the best dog, complete with the annual Worcester Hot Dog Safari competition.
“The place is a Leicester icon,” said Phillip Olivo, president of the Leicester Business Association, adding his go-to order is a burger and a root beer.
That’s not the typical order at Hot Dog Annie’s. Waiting in line around lunchtime on a Tuesday, the half-dozen customers ahead of me all ordered three dogs each, with distinctive toppings.
Dan Holohan ordered his trio of dogs before proudly stating he’s been ordering dogs at the small counter for 60 years.
“I used to come here with my parents,” he said as he held the door open, adding only two of the dogs were for him. The third, a plain dog, was for his eagerly awaiting dog Bella, who could be seen tail-wagging from his car.
Margaret Darling of Cherry Valley remembers the first time her family drove their 1948 Chevy to Hot Dog Annie’s back in 1953.
“I was 9 or 10, and the whole family, the dogs, everyone got in the car, and we would drive up there,” she said. “Mom and dad always went for the sauce, my older sister would get plain, and my younger sister was just a baby, no dogs for her.”
Darling said she’s an “only mustard” type of gal and will still make the drive to Leicester from time to time, “whenever I get the yearning for a dog,” she said with a chuckle, adding she’ll even sit in her car and eat in the parking lot.
While Holohan and Darling agree, the hot dogs were once four for $1, they’re now $2.73 or $3.20 with barbecue sauce. The price has increased over the years just like everything else, but many residents said it was simply “too expensive for a hot dog.”
Not much else has changed at the no-frills Route 56 landmark, established originally as the Silver Grille by the Fyffe family in 1947. The locals coined the nickname “Hot Dog Annie’s” and after a devastating fire in the 1960s, a new sign was put up and the nickname made official.
Most days around lunchtime the parking lot is full of patrons sitting in their cars devouring their lunches.
Kiley Blanchard used to come here as a kid but hasn’t been in a while. Now that’s changed, and she couldn’t be happier.
“I just got a new job,” she said while waiting for an order of three hot dogs. “So now I’m close by and I can just stop by and grab lunch.”
When it comes to the menu, Blanchard said it’s all about the barbecue sauce.
“Some of my family live in Florida, but they’re obsessed with the sauce, so we always bring a bottle of it when we met up on family vacations,” she said with a laugh.
The barbecue sauce is one of the most popular items on the menu, said Mary Ma as she turned the dogs on the grill behind the counter, the other favorite, the “everything dog.”
“It’s a secret recipe,” she said smiling, before handing out another dozen dogs to hungry customers.
Sauce lover Patrick Santos placed his regular order of six dogs, with barbecue sauce and extra onions, complete with a homemade cream soda. He too has been coming to the small stand for decades, proving once again the locals remain loyal to the landmark lunch stop.
Heading back out into the parking lot of Hot Dog Annie’s, a Dudley-Charlton regional school bus has pulled in and opened its doors, with dozens of students all heading for the small hot dog stand. The Shepherd Hill Band had just finished playing locally and was headed back to school, but not before grabbing a highly anticipated and well-deserved lunch.
“The kids look forward to this every year,” band director Thomas Wilson said as he walked toward the line of hungry patrons.
As several students exited the small stand, hot dogs in hand, it’s clear this Leicester icon will continue to be just that, for the newest generation to order extra barbecue sauce.
T&G engagement editor Sarah Barnacle is getting to know Central Mass. by exploring some of the best places to go and things to do in Worcester County. If you have an idea or suggestion, please email sbarnacle@gannett.com.
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