Snoopy's Hot Dogs

Snoopy's Hot Dogs with non-offensive marquee

In Wake County, you really can’t talk about Carolina Hot Dogs without Snoopy’s Hot Dogs making an appearance. They may not be the best hot dogs in Raleigh, but with numerous locations, they are probably the most recognizable hot dog stand in the Capital City, especially inside the Beltline.

I originally sampled Snoopy’s several years ago, and as I recall, I wasn’t really impressed. Because of that, and another issue I’ll discuss a little later, I haven’t really been back. However, if I’m going to review Carolina Hot Dogs, Snoopy’s is definitely a location to include.

With a hankering for dogs and a mostly open mind, I decided to hit the original Snoopy’s at the corner of Whitaker Mill and Wake Forest Roads, just a few miles east of Five Points. It's a small building, a converted service station, with a walk- window for ordering and another for picking up. Because there are no public rest rooms, there are no tables or chairs for dining. (I used the trunk of my car.)

In keeping with my taste and tradition, I added coleslaw to the mustard, onion, and chili of the standard Snoopy’s Famous Hot Dog. At just over two bucks, these dogs are a small bit more expensive than most others I’ve sampled.

I unwrapped my order, and the slaw was a bit suspicious-looking. It was hard to tell if it was home-made or bought. Even upon tasting, I wasn’t completely sure, but if it wasn’t home-made, it was probably the best purchased slaw I’ve ever had. If it was home-made, it was sufficient, but not awesome. It blended well with the chili, onions, and mustard and made for a pretty respectable dog, certainly better than the ones I had remembered. The chili was tasty, but it didn’t seem as meaty as I typically like, but again, it worked. I did enjoy the hot dog.

A respectable dog

And I would probably go back. Might go back. Depending on my mood. If my hankering for a Snoopy’s dog out-weighed my political conscience, that is. You see, there’s a message board/marquee out front, and through the years, most of its content has been innocuous—like it was the day I visited for this review—but many times it has featured conservative political comments that tend to rub me the wrong way.

It seems like a business owner would want to appeal to as many customers as possible. Liberal money spends just as well as conservative. Atheist and agnostic money, as well as Christian. The same with black and white, Islamic and Hindu. It’s like playing a biased newscast in a business. Wouldn’t it be better to aim at non-offensive—unless a business owner is happy to settle for a specific niche (see Chick-fil-a and Barilla).

Political messages aside, Snoopy’s offers a darn decent dog, and they have some pretty enticing pricing, especially on Tuesdays and Sundays.

My verdict 3 weenies