Chicago staple The Wiener Circle, will have some changes when it reopens in the summer:
Wiener’s Circle fans have been a little on edge since New Year’s Eve, which is the last time the Lincoln Park stand served a Chicago-style dog. During the pandemic, the stand tried gimmicks like delivery and curbside abuse— the staff insults may be vulgar but regulars find them part of the restaurant’s charm. But the pandemic kept the bars where Wiener’s Circle sourced many of its customers closed and slowed business to the point that ownership closed the stand on January 1 without revealing why.
Longtime manager Evelyn Morris, who’s worked at the stand for 31 years, has answers: The hot dog stand is going through renovations and she hopes to be back open in June. While the space needed new pipes and windows, the work will be more extensive. The parking lot in back will be transformed for patio seating. And there will be a bar serving alcohol.
Adding alcohol to the equation could be interesting.