Skeenies Hot Dogs Annual Event Returns November 28-29

For many Charleston area hot dog lovers, Skeenies Hot Dogs is a sacred spot. First opening in July of
1953 and continuing in business until March of 2018, it served hundreds of thousands of delicious hot dogs and other fast food fare through the pickup window to hungry patrons at its original location at 2399 Sissonville Drive. 

When it ceased operations in 2018 it left a giant hole in the hot dog culture of the Kanawha Valley. Thankfully, for the past several years Karen Skeen, the daughter of the founder, has made the trip to West Virginia on Thanksgiving weekend to recreate the magic of Skeenies for two days only. 

Karen says she holds these sales to honor her family. "They were good people and hardworking people, said Karen. "The main things they cared about were taking care of each other and taking care of Skeenies.  I hold these sales to try to keep a tiny bit of all of that alive."

In comments on our Facebook page about the event, many people ask why it's only a once a year event, and wonder why Skeenies just doesn't reopen for good, as if that would be an easy thing to do. Karen, the last of the family members, now lives in Florida. She also is the only one with the secret recipe for the chili that made Skeenies so successful. We think that hot dog lovers should just be thankful for the annual event.

Another common question is why they didn't name it "Skeenies Weenies." According to Karen, the name of the restaurant was born from the franchising effort. A customer suggested to her father that he should add "ies" to his name and and call it "Skeenies Weenies."  

"My mother said my dad didn’t like Skeenies Weenies," said Karen, "because he was attempting to franchise the name and product in other states so he wanted the name to be a little more respected. At one point my dad had franchises in 13 states but he didn’t feel the franchisees were putting out a quality products so he stopped the franchises."

While the name “Skeenies" still graces the sign that sits proudly above the building on Sissonville Road, franchises were known as "Skeenies West Virginia Hot Dogs."

So the day after Thanksgiving is known in many parts as "Black Friday," but for hot dog fans in Charleston, it has become "Skeenies Friday."

This year's event will take place on Friday, November 28 and Saturday, November 29. Hours both days will be 11:00  - 7:00.

We hope to see you there!