Hot dog towers are a budget-friendly replacement for seafood towers
Summer is just up ahead — and while the warmer months may be enticing for those looking to go out to eat, menu prices have risen 3.7% since last year, according to the Consumer Price Index.
Some restaurants across the country have a unique approach: hot dog towers.
A spin on the classic seafood tower, the multi-tiered wiener celebration has been showing up on the menus of sporting clubs, diners and seafood establishments.
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One restaurant – Lamar's Sporting Club in Charleston, South Carolina – partners with Sir Wieners to bring patrons a $60 hot dog tower.
The menu boasts "all five of our specialty wieners, served on a tower with truffle fries and dipping sauces."
Sir Wieners claims on Instagram to be the home of the "OG" hot dog tower.
"The response has been incredible," owner TJ Dinch told Fox News Digital. "People love the over-the-top presentation, and it's become a must-try item for anyone stopping by Lamar's."
Dinch said the hot dog tower is "one of the top sellers."
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Another restaurant – Trina's Starlight Lounge in Somerville, Massachusetts – starts its tower at $35.
It comes complete with "classic dogs, tofu pups, Starlite style, chili cheese or dog of the day, served with fries and all the dipping sauces," according to a post on the establishment's Instagram page.
While foods like oysters may have their time and place, mainstays of American comfort food such as the hot dog can evoke memories of childhood and patriotism.
The hot dog is a longstanding American tradition – as patriotic as a baseball game, where it became standard fare in 1893, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council's website.
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"This tradition is believed to have been started by a St. Louis bar owner, Chris Von de Ahe, a German immigrant who also owned the St. Louis Browns major league baseball team," the site says.
As far as how the dogs stand out beyond their more digestible price tag, it's just fun, Dinch said.
"We wanted to create something that was more than just a meal. It's an experience," Dinch said.
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"The idea came from the classic American love for hot dogs but with an added layer of fun and indulgence. We took inspiration from over-the-top food trends and thought, 'Why not stack hot dogs into a tower and throw in some truffle fries and sparklers?' It's the perfect mix of ridiculous and delicious."
In Newport, Rhode Island, Wally's Wieners serves a hot dog tower but doesn't stop there.
Wally's also has an espresso martini tree, tying in to the novelty of towering, plentiful and playful menu items.
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There's also the possibility that a hot dog tower can serve more people for less money per person.
Ghostburger in Washington, D.C., has a hot dog tower option that doesn't stop at serving two to four people.
The restaurant's "Glorious Weenie Tower Of Power" includes four dogs, four orders of sliders, a cheesesteak cut to share, ghost fries, onion rings and "all the sauces, all the glory," according to its online menu.
And it still comes in at under $100.
"It's the perfect storm of taste, nostalgia and shareability," Dinch told Fox News Digital.
"Hot dogs are already a classic American favorite, and the tower adds an eye-catching, larger-than-life element that people want to experience."
