Hot Doug's, Chicago's most famous hot dog restaurant, is closing at the end of the day today and people are going crazy.
Doug Sohn, 52, is closing his restaurant that was the hot spot for countless celebrity visits and first dates.
He tells Chicago Tribune in an exit interview that he is closing the shop and retiring from the restaurant business to start a new chapter in his life.
Sohn plans to pick up working again in the spring, but as of right now it's up in the air what his next career path will be.
"I've got a bunch of ideas. I get the feeling it'll be multiple things," he tells Chicago Tribune. "The two things I do know: It won't be a restaurant and it won't be a food truck. I'd like to gear toward giving back in some capacity, maybe a charity or non-profit."
All that's certain right now is that Sohn's hot dogs are going to be missed in Chicago.
All week people were beginning to line up to get their last Hot Doug's hot dog in the early hours of the morning to secure the chance that they will be served by the end of the day.
Today is the last day the private business will be operating, and although they don't open until 10:30 a.m., the first customers arrived at 12:45 this morning, reports The Associated Press.
All different types of people gathered outside the restaurant this morning to get their last hot dog.
College student Sergio Deleon arrived at 3 a.m. with hopes to be served before he has to make it to class by 11. If he doesn't make it in time it's going to cost him a full letter grade in class.
"Gonna be worth it," Deleon tells AP, adding that if he's late he still has a plan for getting his A - he'll just buy a dog for the professor too.
Not only are people waiting in line for long periods of time, but some are even selling their place in line on Craigslist for prices up to $300.
Despite all the media attention (there is even a documentary being filmed about Hot Doug's) Sohn is very humble about the experience:
"I didn't set out to have this legacy," he tells Chicago Tribune. "To me, it's all gravy. Assuming I could still make a living out of the public eye, then it's fine. My brother and I were talking about music recently and how incredibly hard it is to write a hit song. People say about certain bands, "Well they were one-hit wonders." That's really hard to do. So if this was my one hit, then, OK."
