Mustard, relish, onion, tomato, cucumber, pickle, hot pepper and seasoned salt are the eight ingredients that make up a Chicago-style hotdog — the specialty item at Wonderdogs. After 26 years of serving this Chicago tradition at the restaurant, located at 605 S. Wright St. in Champaign, owner Jay Feiz could put this hot dog together in his sleep.

“Chicago style is the famous style (of hot dog) in Chicago,” Feiz said. “A lot of people are from the Chicago area, and they come here for them.”

Feiz believes his hot dogs stand out from the rest because he uses Vienna Beef, which is higher quality and pricier. To Feiz, the price is worth it because the beef is more flavorful than other brands. Although he buys Vienna Beef, the price of one Chicago-style hot dog at Wonderdogs is $1.99. 

Feiz works alongside his wife Sarah, who agrees with the quality of the Vienna hot dogs.

“They are all beef,” she said. “They are delicious.”

While the traditional Chicago-style hot dog does not include ketchup, Feiz makes exceptions for customers who prefer it, though he personally believes mustard is for hot dogs and ketchup is for fries.

Feiz recalls his graduate school days in which he used to eat a lot of tuna fish and pizza, two items he can no longer eat today after growing tired of eating them for four years. After eating thousands of hot dogs during his time owning and running Wonderdogs, he has never gotten sick of the Vienna Beef.

Wonderdogs was included in the Vienna Beef Hall of Fame this past year, an honor bestowed upon on the best hot dog restaurants across the country. 

According to the Vienna Beef website, the Hall of Fame was created to honor owners who have been great customers and great friends. The criteria to be in the Hall of Fame include quality of the product and satisfaction of the customers. 

In his time on campus, Feiz has built a consumer base including students, professors and Champaign-Urbana locals.

“My customers are regulars,” he said. “They know what they want when they walk in.”

With a solid following on campus, Wonderdogs has even attracted the attention of the Hot Dog Club of Urbana-Champaign. The group is made up of history graduate students who have made it a tradition to eat lunch at Wonderdogs every Friday afternoon. 

Deirdre Ruscitti, a graduate student in history, has been a part of the Hot Dog Club of Urbana-Champaign for about a year. At the end of each lunch meeting, the club has a tradition that always puts a smile on the owners faces.

“We lean over in a group huddle, put our heads together, and yell ‘hot dog!’” she said. “We can look over and see them smiling after we do it.”

Ruscitti said one of her favorite meals at Wonderdogs is the Chicago-style hot dog without ketchup.

“It is such a good hot dog,” she said. “They do a really good job there.”

Kelly can be reached at [email protected].