Essie's Original Hot Dog Shop

Essie's Original Hot Dog Shop (commonly known as The Original Hot Dog Shop, The O or The Dirty O)[1] was a restaurant in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.

Essie's Original Hot Dog Shop
"The O" on the corner of South Bouquet Street and Forbes Avenue
Restaurant information
Established1960
ClosedApril 2020
Food typehot dogs, french fries
Street address3901 Forbes Avenue
CityPittsburgh
StatePennsylvania
Coordinates40.442095°N 79.956469°W / 40.442095; -79.956469

History

The Original Hot Dog Shop was opened by Sydney “Syd” and Morris “Moe” Simon in Pittsburgh, in June 1960[2][3] near Forbes Field and the University of Pittsburgh.

The restaurant was originally named "House of Beef", later "The Original Franks & Burgers" and eventually "The Original Hot Dog Shop". Over time, Syd bought out Moe's interest, becoming full owner of the restaurant. "Essie’s" was added in 2000 in memory of Syd's wife, Esther, after her death.[3] Syd's children Terry Campasano and Bruce Simon owned and managed the restaurant starting in the mid-2000s.[4]

The restaurant quickly became known for its hot dogs and large portions of French fries, although the menu also includes sandwiches, salads and pizza. In 2001, Gourmet Magazine ranked the hot dogs fourth-best in America,[5] and The New York Times named it to a list of one of the "high spots in a nation of hot-dog heavens" in 2002.[6] The O was also featured on Rick Sebak's nationally distributed PBS program A Hog Dog Program[7] as well as on an episode of the Food Network's Unwrapped.[8]

"O" fries

As part of CNN's 100 Places to Eat series, Travel+Leisure's Laura Kiniry ranked the O's fries among the best in the U.S.[9] The University of Pittsburgh's student newspaper The Pitt News named The O "Best French Fries" in 2002,[10] 2003,[11] 2004,[12] 2005,[13] 2006,[14] 2007,[15] and 2008.[16]

A location at Carnegie Mellon University lasted from 1996 to 2006, closing in the wake of an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint and declining profits.[17][18]

The restaurant closed in April 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4][19][20]

See also

References
  1. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "Long live "The Dirty O!"
  2. Sebak, Rick (2010-09-03). "The 'O' Turns the Big 5-0". Pittsburgh Magazine. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  3. Reed, Amanda (2020-04-22). "From Forbes Field to french fries, a brief look at the (foot) long history of "The Dirty O"". Very Local Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  4. Johnson, Rebecca (2020-04-18). "Longtime manager confirms The O's closure". The Pitt News. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  5. Fitzgerald Michael R. (2006). "'O's hot dogs ranked fourth best in the United States". The Pitt News. Retrieved December 9, 2006.
  6. Lukas Paul (July 3, 2002). "High Spots in a Nation of Hot-Dog Heavens". The New York Times. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
  7. "Hot Dog Places". WQED.org. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  8. "Unwrapped: In the Bun Episode CW1204". FoodNetwork.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  9. Kiniry, Laura (November 26, 2012). "Best French fries in the U.S." Travel + Leisure. CNN.com. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  10. Best of Grub – Best of Issue 2002
  11. The Best Grub – Best of Issue 2003
  12. Best of Food – Best of 2004
  13. The Best Grub – Best Of 2005
  14. "The Best Food - Best Of 2006". Archived from the original on 2007-08-10. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  15. "The Best Food - Best Of 2007". The Pitt News. Archived from the original on 2007-11-14.
  16. "Best of 2008… The Best Grub". The Pitt News. 19 November 2008. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  17. Post-Gazette "EEOC says Original Hot Dog Shop is racially biased"
  18. The Tartan "The 'O' to close on campus"
  19. Saunders, Alan (2020-04-18). "Original Hot Dog Shop, Legendary Pitt Eatery, Closes". PGH Sports Now. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  20. Hagerty, James R. (29 April 2020). "Coronavirus Shuts Some Beloved Local Restaurants for Good". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
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