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!

Montgomery HDJ Review - Taylor Made Restaurant & Bar

This new restaurant opened up this year in a space formerly occupied by Leslie's Restaurant & Pub. Back in 2022 when we reviewed Leslie's hot dogs, we said it was certainly the best hot dog in Montgomery and it garnered a solid 4 Weenie rating. Would Taylor Made hold up the tradition?

We weren't sure if Taylor Made was serious about hot dogs or not, based on their social media postings. They seemed to always have a dinner special and have recently featured Oyster Po' Boys and Corned Beef and Cabbage. Looking back through older posts we saw cabbage rolls, fish sandwiches and many other things, but they didn't seem to brag much about their hot dogs.

We noticed on the menu that the restaurant seemed proud that they offered "Connie 'Big Momma" Humphrey's Chili," but we confess that we don't know Big Momma so we weren't sure if that was a good thing or not. But we were pleased that they listed the correct toppings for a hot dog on the menu with no extras like ketchup or cheese. That's always a good sign.

We placed our order and while we waited we could not help but notice how incredibly noisy the place was, even though there were only a few diners in the room. Music playing over the tinny speakers of a TV in the corner was competing with a couple of loud diners and the incessant music and sound effects emanating from a child's iPad on which he played games. Adding to the din was one single diner watching YouTube videos on his phone with no regard for the volume, and the corrugated tin walls of the space only amplified the sonic chaos. It's hard to imagine how loud it must be when maximally occupied.

When we got our hot dog, it looked pretty nice sitting beside the onion rings we ordered to go with it. Well-assembled and neat, it was a good visual example of a modest Genteel Dog. At first, though, the bun looked a little crusty to have been steamed, but it turned out to be neither steamed or crusty. 

Big Momma's chili was nothing to excited about, tasting like most upper-Kanawha Valley hot dog chili we've had with the dominant flavors being salt and chili powder, but it was a good consistency. The slaw was also finely grated but lacked flavor and was a tad dry. It paired properly with the chili, however, so we'll give it passing grade.

The weenie was grilled and tasted fine but was a bit tough. The onions were nicely chopped and applied. The mustard -- if it was there at all -- was not evident. 

Overall the hot dog was a disappointment and we can only give it a 2 Weenie rating.  And while we try

hard to not allow atmosphere to affect our hot dog rating, after suffering through the noise and chaos and then seeing the menu sitting by the register with a band-aid on it, it was hard to give Taylor Made the benefit of the doubt.