Move Over Seafood Tower — The Hot Dog Tower Has Arrived | Eater

"A longstanding Somerville bar that had a financially “pretty rough” 2024, with co-owner Emma Hollander saying, “We felt a little stuck.” After 15 years of serving hot dogs, fried chicken sandwiches, and other Southern-inflected bar foods, the team added a hot dog tower in January: a two-tiered assortment of five hot dogs, fries, and sauce served on branded Miller High Life trays, with hot dogs fanned out like a starburst. The visual, playful presentation fits the bar’s aesthetic (statements spelled out in childlike magnet letters on a fridge) and was intended as “an easy way to breathe new life into the haunt.” It became a popular order almost immediately — the bar now sells about 40 towers a night, which start at $35 (swapping in loaded hot dogs or veggie dogs adds an upcharge) — sometimes casual snacks for big groups, other times the centerpiece of celebrations. The concept fit the existing menu of American comfort food and didn’t add kitchen strain because hot dogs and fries were already best-sellers: “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” Hollander says. The towers were homemade after co-owner Josh Childs vetoed using thrift-shop “cupcake towers,” arguing he could build better ones; he converted Miller High Life-branded drink trays into sturdy towers with industrial metal handles, starting with three and quickly escalating to five: “And now he’s making three more,” Hollander says. The theatrical reveal has proved effective: “When you bring it out, people are like, What’s that? I want one.” The spot uses local sausages from Kayem (makers of the Fenway Franks)." - Bettina Makalintal