🌭 Nathan’s Famous: The Hot Dog Empire with a Big Secret 🌭

This week, we dive mouth-first into the greasy, glorious history of Nathan’s Famous, the iconic hot dog brand that gave us Al Capone’s favorite beach snack, a gluttonous holiday tradition, and the most American sporting event of all time: the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.

From shady police bribes to feeding royalty to Joey Chestnut’s triumphant return after an Impossible controversy, this episode covers over a century of beef, buns, and barfing-for-glory. Joining me is comedian Marty Cunnie (who saw Chestnut live in action!! I'm fangirling).

🍺 A President Served Nathan’s to the Queen of England
💵 Bribing Cops Was Just Good Business
📉 The Hot Dog Eating Contest Origins Are a Complete Lie
🏆 Joey Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Wrestling Vibes & Wet Buns
🇺🇸 Chestnut Returns for His 17th Mustard Belt
📺 Netflix’s “Unfinished Beef” Wasn't Canon
😬 Coney Island: Hot Dogs, Broken Glass, & Weird Tits
🏠 Marty’s Dream Restaurant Is Just His 3AM Apartment

💬 COMMENT BELOW: How many hot dogs is too many?

📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY:
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🎥 Watch full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@finediningpodcast
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🎤 Marty Cunnie on IG: @martycunniecomedy

Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van

👉 NEXT WEEK: We review the original Nathan’s Famous location in Coney Island to see if the dogs are still worth the pilgrimage — or if the legend should stay in the history books.

🍗 Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken: Nothing Was Bad?! 🍗

We went to Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken—and literally nothing made it into the “Not Good” category. Nothing!

Comedian and improviser Dave Theune (St. Denis Medical, NBC/Peacock) joins me to talk about his first foray into eating dark meat, crispy fried okra, spicy batter, and the kind of service that borders on too attentive (but we loved it). The waiter even coaxed out my Star Wars hot take.

Is Gus’s better than Chili’s? That’s the question. But when a fried pickle almost takes me out in the opening minutes, it’s going to be a wild ride to the answer.

🍗 Juicy, Spicy, Championship Chicken
😇 Service So Good It’s Practically Flirting
🥒 A Scalding Pickle
🥧 Dessert: Chocolate Chess vs. Pecan Pie
🎵 Steely Dan Energy Without Steely Dan
🚽 The Most Secure Bathroom in LA
☕️ Unsweetened Tea… a 10/10?!
📈 Did Gus’s pass the Chili’s test?

💬 COMMENT BELOW: Is Gus’s your go-to for fried chicken? Or does your loyalty lie elsewhere in the Southern fried pantheon?

📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY:
🔥 Patreon (Bonus reviews & exclusive content!): https://www.patreon.com/finediningpodcast
💬 Discord (Food talk, cursed Yelp reviews, Star Wars hot takes): https://discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4
🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@finediningpodcast
🔗 All links: https://www.linktree.com/finediningpodcast
🎭 Dave Theune’s series St. Denis Medical – now streaming on Peacock

Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van

👉 NEXT WEEK: I head to Nathan’s Famous to learn the history of their fabled hot dog eating contest.

🐔 Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken (Part 1): Gus's Parents, the Superfan, and Chicken Championships 🐔

Before Gus’s was world famous, it was just spicy chicken sold out the back of a bar in the segregated South. But that secret recipe grew into a Southern staple, complete with 40+ locations, a chicken-loving superfan turned CEO, and even a rogue rooster who hangs out outside one of their Memphis spots.

In this episode, I’m joined by improvisor, actor, and all-around delight Dave Theune (NBC’s St. Denis Medical) to go deep on the wild rise of Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, the hearse they use for advertising, and why you’ll never know what’s in their spice blend. Plus, Dave pitches a double-restaurant concept where Italian comfort meets a dessert diner, and it's all Rocky-themed.

Is Gus’s really chicken to die for? Or just another chain in a hearse-shaped hat?

🔥 Backdoor Fried Chicken in 1950s Tennessee
🐓 The Secret Recipe That Not Even Marrying into the Family Can Teach You
👑 How a Superfan Became the CEO of the Whole Company
👻 Hearses, Roosters & Other Bizarre Gus’s Lore
🏆 Two-Time Winner of the National Fried Chicken Festival
🧻 Yelp Reviewers vs. Chicken Gremlins
🪑 Dave Theune’s Dream Restaurant: Rocky & Apollo’s

💬 COMMENT BELOW: Have you tried Gus’s? Did it make you say “goddamn”? Or just “meh”?

📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY:
🔥 Patreon (Bonus reviews & exclusive content!): https://www.patreon.com/finediningpodcast
💬 Discord (Share horror stories & chat chains): https://discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4
📸 Instagram/TikTok: @finediningpodcast and @davetheune
🎧 Full episodes & video: https://www.youtube.com/@finediningpodcast
🔗 All links: www.linktree.com/finediningpodcast

⚡ Like, Subscribe & Share if you believe fried chicken is a spiritual experience!

Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van

👉 NEXT WEEK: We actually eat the chicken at Gus's. Is it “chicken to die for”? Or just fried food with a strong brand? Find out in Part 2.