How to order a hot dog like a local

Hot dogs are everywhere in the US, from street carts to ballparks to the corner store. Knowing how to order one properly, especially with regional variations thrown in, makes the whole thing a lot less confusing. More so the first time you're standing in front of a cart, trying to decide what to say.

The basic order

A hot dog goes by a few names: frank, frankfurter, or wiener. You can buy one from a store, a concession stand, or a street cart. For a plain hot dog on a regular bun, you can just say, "Can I get a hot dog?" or "Can I get a frankfurter?" If you want more than one, say something like "I'd like two franks, please."

Some places let you build your own, while others will ask you directly: "How would you like that?" or "What would you like on it?" That's your cue to say what you want, plain or loaded.

If you don't want any toppings, "I'll take it plain" or "I don't want anything on it" both work. For something more specific, you can name the type of meat, the bun, or both at once. Like "I'd like an all-beef hot dog on a regular bun," or "I'll take a vegetarian hot dog on a steamed bun." A kosher hot dog follows Jewish dietary laws, and a gluten-free bun is made without the proteins found in wheat and some other grains.

A few ways this sounds in conversation:

• Can I get a hot dog, please?
• I'd like a turkey hot dog on a toasted bun.
• Let me have a kosher hot dog with a gluten-free bun.
• I'll take mine plain, no toppings.

Toppings and condiments

Once you've got the basics down, toppings are just added into the same sentence. "Let me get a hot dog with ketchup" or "I'll have a turkey hot dog with mustard" both work fine. For more than one topping, list them out: "I'd like a hot dog with ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, and relish."

If you want something more specific, like chili, cheese, and onions all together, you can usually just name the combination. "Can I have a chili dog?" covers chili, mustard, cheese, and onions without listing each one separately. Some stores also offer different sizes or spice levels. This can be a foot-long frank if you want it longer, a "Big Bite" if you want something plumper, or a "Spicy Bite" if you want more heat.

A few examples:

• I'll have a hot dog with ketchup, mustard, and relish.
• Can I get a chili dog, please?
• I'd like a foot-long frank, please.

Regional hot dogs

Different parts of the US take their hot dogs seriously enough to have their own version, with their own name.

In Chicago, a fully loaded dog comes with yellow mustard, relish, chopped onions, a pickle spear, sport peppers, tomato slices, and celery salt, all on a poppy seed bun, no ketchup. You can order the whole thing just by saying, "Can I have a Chicago Dog?"

At Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the "Dodger Dog" is a 10-inch pork hot dog served in a steamed bun. It's often topped with mustard, onions, ketchup, and relish.

At Nathan's Famous in New York, the "Empire Dog" comes with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard, the classic New York combination. And at Dog Haus, a chain with several US locations, "Das Brat" swaps the hot dog for a bratwurst, topped with sauerkraut, caramelized onions, white American cheese, and mustard aioli.

Here's how these sound in an order:

• Can I have a Chicago Dog, please?
• I'll take a Dodger Dog, extra mustard.
• Can I get the Empire Dog? Extra sauerkraut, please.
• I'd like a Das Brat, please.

Nobody standing behind a hot dog cart wants your life story. They want your order, and they want it now. Get comfortable with these phrases and you'll have yourself a proper hot dog in no time.