WBOY TV Visits The Custard Stand

Tonight's edition of the evening news on WBOY TV featured The Custard Stand in Webster Springs on the semi-regular "Restaurant Road Trip". Hopefully the accompanying video will be posted soon. You can read the text from the report at this link. Of particular interest is that Custard Stand is looking to expand by offering franchise opportunities.

If you want to read some more heartfelt reviews, check out Stanton's review from August 2010 here, or my review of the Flatwood's location here.

Webster Springs HDJ Review: The Custard Stand

Certainly one of the most successful businesses in the West Virginia Hot Dog industry, this little HDJ has become the leading producer of store-bought hot dog chili in the entire region. Its chili, "Custard Stand Hot Dog Chili" is sold in stores like Kroger and Wal Mart thoughout the eastern US. According to their Facebook page, the original restaurant "The Custard Stand" was actually named Elsie's Dairy Bar- founded by Elsie Hamrick-1960. The name was changed to The Custard Stand in 1991-and the chili began to be sold in retail stores in 2003. In 2009, the second location of The Custard Stand in Flatwoods was opened (you can read Bid Daddy's review of that location here.)

I have been trying to get to this original location for years, but Webster Springs is not on the way to anywhere and so it took me until I had a free day and the inclination to make a four-hour roundtrip hot dog run. My chance finally came on a Sunday and I logged onto http://www.custardstand.com/ and was pleased to find that they have longer hours than a typical HDJ and are open 7 days a week. So I loaded up the truck and went to Webster; Springs that is.

I set out with no directions, but I figured I could find the place easy enough and I was right: You know when people give you directions to a place and say "you can't miss it"? Well, this is what they mean: The Custard Stand sits on the outside edge of a hairpin curve on the road that leads down into the Elk River Valley just before you get to Webster Springs, and if you didn't negotiate the curve properly, you just might end up inside the place (which actually happened a few years ago when a truck lost its brakes and crashed into TCS's warehouse). The HDJ has two walk up ordering windows and the dining area is a picnic shelter across the parking lot. When I got there shortly after noon on Sunday, there was a fairly large crowd of folks waiting for their orders. Periodically one of the two workers inside would bellow an order number through the open window and a hungry looking person would scamper over and get their food.

Once the throng thinned out a little, I was able to place my order. I inquired as to what The Custard Stand considers everything and got an unexpected response: "Chili, slaw and oninons." What, no mustard? I am used to having to ask for a modified version of "everything" at lesser HDJs who serve a variation from the generally accepted toppings but usually it involves the deletion of ketchup or such other offensive addition; rarely - if ever - do I have to ask to add mustard.

My mustard request was accepted easily enough and soon I had joined the ranks of the waiting. While I did so I was able to look around a little, but there was not much to look at: This place is very humble and spartan, even for a roadside HDJ. The most interesting feature was the world-class kudzu patch on the hillside above the parking lot that looked like it might overtake the delivery truck that was parked next to it. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long.

My hot dogs were nestled in paper boats and wrapped in wax paper. The consistency of the slaw and the careful wrapping job made the hot dog an almost perfect specimen of a Utilitarian Dog: The slaw compacted nicely into the shape of the wrap and was easy to eat without worry of spillage. The bun was soft and steamed. While I am not the biggest fan of the store-bought Custard Stand Chili because it lacks spiciness, the slightly sweet slaw seemingly had no vinegar or other tartness inducing ingredient and it was perfectly matched with the tame chili. The onions were embedded under the slaw and were nicely sweet.

This hot dog tries hard for 5 Weenies, but because I had to ask for Mustard I can't see a way that I could do that with the high ethical standards that we maintain here at WVHotDogs.com. Big Daddy had a slightly different experience at the Flatwoods location where he got mustard and he gave them a Five. Perhaps I caught the order taker on a bad day, but you have to be on your toes in the dog eat dog world of WV hot dogs. 4.5 Weenies for the original Custard Stand on this day.

Flatwoods HDJ Review - Custard Stand

I had been reminded that I was far behind on conducting a review for the blog, so I was eager to get on the road for an impromptu business trip to Flatwoods. I had recently heard that the Cowger family had opened a new shop just off exit 67 of I-79. It stands to reason the convenient location will serve this franchise well in the future. Ironically, the restaurant is located in what was briefly a Sam's Hot Dog Stand.

The interior is small, with enough seating for about 16 or 17 people. The outside features a covered patio area with a walk-up window. Custard Stand has a lot of variety on their menu, including several sandwiches, funnel cakes, ice cream treats, broccoli n' cheese poppers (!), chicken, fish, and something I would never expect to find at a hot dog joint...Buzz buttered steak. Very interesting. They also have prepackaged containers of their famous chili available for

purchase. You can get small, one-pound containers, or industrial sized five-pounders. This was also one of the few places that offers a chili dog...without the wiener.

Good service here. I got the eye contact, thank yous, quick prep and delivery of my meal, etc. As I've said time and time again, good service is key to making your HDJ worth coming back to.

When I got my order back to my car, I was pleased as punch to

see that they didn't just wrap it up and toss it in a bag, like I've suffered with before. They carefully balanced the toppings around the weenie, placed it in a paper boat, and delicately wrapped it in wax paper (bonus points) so as not to crush it. When I unwrapped this little hand-held treasure trove, there was a waft of the freshly steamed bun that immediately let me know I was in for a treat.

Indeed, in the first bite I was impressed by how fresh and perfectly steamed the bun was. I took a look at the slaw and found that it was shredded extra fine. Fortunately, it was not doused in too much dressing so as to make the bun soggy. The slaw didn't suffer from an overdose of sweet or sour. It had the "just right" balance that made the perfect compliment to the dog.

I've had Custard Stand chili before, having picked some up at a local grocery store. My take on it is that is truly a southern West Virginia formula, favoring a good simmered beef flavor versus diverse spices, which are more typical of the

northern formulas. There was a nice texture to the beef and just the right amount of sauce mixed in. Like the slaw, it doesn't go overboard in the liquid department, but emphasizes a nice, flowing consistency throughout the whole mixture. I found the whole concoction to be both savory and satisfying.

If I were forced (and I would have to be forced) to point out any flaw, it would only be that it was a little heavy on the mustard for my taste. Still, this was easy to overlook as it melded nicely with the chili. The onions were diced a little coarse as well, but again they only served to compliment the whole package.

I give Custard Stand five weenies. It seems as though the Cowger's have the art of the hot dog down to a science. The chili they serve has captured the essence of what homemade should taste like. In the future, a visit to the original Custard Stand in Webster Springs will be in order.