Waters Cafe dishing out free hot dogs for National Hot Dog Day

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council Americans consume about 20 billion hot dogs a year.

That comes down to roughly 70 hot dogs per person per year.

That’s a number that Waters Café owner Clinton Edminster is hoping to add to Wednesday on National Hot Dog Day without costing you a dime.

“Hot Dog Day is July 19, which is this sort of decreed official day by the Hot Dog Association of America, which is a real thing. I might have gotten the name wrong.”

Well, pretty close.

It’s actually the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, “but there really are a bunch of people and all day their job is to promote hot dogs,” says Edminster.

And it would appear their work has paid off, or it at least convinced Edminster.

“We’ll be celebrating it by giving out free hot dogs all day long.”

As for why, “well, this really goes back to the founding of America as a country and some of our ideals about freedom and freedom of choice,” Edminster jokes.

A sentiment woven into the fabric of our Nation from the founding fathers themselves.

“There’s nothing more American than a free weenie,” laughed Edminster. “Thomas Jefferson said that, and I can send you the link to where he said that.”

Alright, maybe he didn’t actually say that, but there is something uniquely American about a hot dog and unique is what Waters Café is all about.

“Hot dogs are just kind of funny and a little bit ridiculous, which is all things that I enjoy and love,” Edminster says.

So, Wednesday they’ll be dishing out dogs, anyway you like them.

“Onions, ketchup, mustard. Although some people tell me that you cannot in any way put ketchup on a hot dog. But, I say, it’s America, it’s a free country, do what you want with your weenie,” says Edminster.

And what he wants to do with his weenies, is use them as a way to say thank you.

“We’ve just had so much support from the neighborhood and so much support from the community, this is our small way of giving back.”

Giving back by getting together to enjoy something almost everyone can agree on.

“Food connects us all, it really does. I expect that we’re going to have a crowd of people on Wednesday, and I also expect people are going to have interactions with people they haven’t met before.” Edminster says, “that’s going to be super cool, watching new interactions with new people. Hot dogs may not be the healthiest snack in the world but the interactions we can have around hot dogs can definitely lead us to having healthy and fulfilling lives.”

You can grad up to three free hot dogs from Waters Café this Wednesday from 10 – 3:30 pm.

Adding cheese sauce or chili to your hot dog will be a small up charge.

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