Even with its 4-star CHS review average, Rancho Bravo is so last week. Here’s the new hot (dog) kid on the block, Wandering Wieners.
Photo: Matthew Parker
Haven’t seen it with my own eyes so this might just be an excellent Photoshop job but tipster Matthew reports that owner Andrea will be operating the cart every day of the week in Cal Anderson. Had a Wandering Wiener? Add your CHS Review.
I’m not sure how I feel about food vendor(s) in the park. What is the park department’s plan? Only one vendor? What was the selection criteria? What other vendors were considered and, possibly, rejected? And what will this do to the trash in the park?
there’s nothing but awesome that can come of this.
Kewl.
This beats most of the wieners that usually wander in the park!
Interesting that the four negative thumbs down given to the first commentor on this thread appear to be from folks who are perhaps thinking: “let’s get lots of quirky, small businesses in Capitol Hill.”
I am very much in agreement with that thinking. I *loved* seeing how many people were in “our” park this weekend. It was amazing and awesome to see hula-hoopers sharing park space with families and a men’s baseball match and dog walkers and of course wandering weiners.
That said, at some point in the future our lovely hood will be even more insanely busy (once all those broadway businesses re-open and the light rail is operational). We will at that point be much more concerned about the sorts of issues raised by the first person to reply to this thread.
So, to Scott S: you’re ahead of your time, sir. Enjoy the awesome foot traffic and vibracy that makes a wandering weiner cart even feasible in Cal Anderson, a park that was just a few years ago kind of a pit, by all accounts.
My husband and I went to Cal Anderson in the afternoon ( a nice some what sunny Sunday) and were very delighted to see a hot dog vendor “Wondering Wieners”. We sat on a bench eating our hot dogs while people watching. It was great! The female vendor wasn’t taking a lot of room and it served the community. What’s wrong with that.
Interesting comments from one of the most diverse places in four states.
The hot dog cart is not the draw, the park is, and the weather, when it coooperates. What I find disturbing, and really is at the heart of my initiatl comment, is how, in the chaos of Broadway and generally the rest of our lives, we find it important to pollute, visually, the very thing that is designed to provide respite from the rampant commercialism.
Perhaps it is just too inconvenient for people to think ahead to bring their own food and beverage to the park, grab something on the way, or walk to find something and come back.
I am but one voice and only time will tell what happens. Cal Anderson park is one of the best things that has happened to our neighborhood in a long, long time.
I think Vlad put it well, Scott — you are out in front of most people on this. There will probably be more concern if there’s a proliferation of carts selling crap in the park. In the meantime, the new hot dog cart taps into long-running desires for relatively cheap, non-gastropub provided food in the area. It’s why everybody got excited about Rancho Bravo. If you are wanting people to not be excited by things like Rancho Bravo and hot dog carts, probably a long-term losing battle. But I agree that we should keep balance in mind. I’ll check with Seattle parks about the rules for vendors. Don’t want to get Wandering Wieners in trouble but am curious to see what kind of framework they and others have to operate within (this, btw, is one of my favorite CHS comment strings ever — hopefully everybody can strive to keep it nice and still discuss ‘complicated’ topics)
As one of the owners of Wandering Wieners, I just want to let everyone know how excited we are to be welcomed into the Capital Hill community. We also appreciate every bit of input that we receive, good and bad, and we invite anyone to let us know how we are doing! We are all familiar with the amazing people that live and work here and that’s why we were thrilled to find out that Cal Anderson was still available for the summer permit contract.
I assure you, there is a process to follow with the Parks Department each year, and they only allow one vendor to work in each of the larger parks in Seattle. We do not know if there were other vendors “rejected” in the application process, but we do know that we are honored to enjoy the park, the sun, and the people this summer.
We take pride in our business and the neighborhood, working hard to maintain a friendly, fun, yet professional atmosphere. We take walks around the park, and if we see any of “our” trash, we’ll pick it up. We understand how much work has gone into making Cal Anderson one of the best parks in Seattle (we all lived here when it wasn’t so great), and we will work hard to keep it that way!
We hope to see you soon! Please, come enjoy a hot dog and the beautiful park!
Andrea? whos Andrea? Pineapple, onion, and jalapeno dog should be a great hit with the Capital Hill Crowd. Creme fresh should be a great condiment with this particular model. And now introducing for the first time ever, the one and only Mercer Island Dog; Gorgonzola, capers, and plantain top off this little delight of a weiner. The Fosnaugh should be a great hit as well. This trophy dog consists of cheddar and salsa with a hint of lime that will surley knock ur picate socks clean off. Enjoy these state of the art weiners as they where developed by our trained weinerologists who are not only certified by the Fosnaugh food of weinerology. but by yours truly, the one and only Michael J. Chops.
Andrea? That looks more like a pic of Jean-Noel to me unless i missed something in the last two weeks. Did she get a sex change and magically grow facial hair? Whatever the case I love you guys and hope it works out for yas in the Hill. When im not too drunk to stumble up there I’ll be buying some crazy dog from Jean I’m sure.
Love JT <3
Thanks Wandering Wieners for setting up shop in Cal Anderson. I walked through a couple of days ago and was surprised to see you, as were most of my friends. What’s wrong with being able to enjoy an impromptu picnic in the park, or getting to have one without some lackluster sandwich of QFC deli meat? It’s like summer arrived early.