Woody's Chicago Style
Encyclopedia
Woody's Chicago Style is a franchise hot dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...

 company based in the Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

, area, serving Chicago-style hot dog
Chicago-style hot dog
A Chicago-style hot dog, or Chicago Dog, is a steamed or water-simmered all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating from the city of Chicago, Illinois...

s. They are currently the second largest hot dog franchise in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 behind Wienerschnitzel
Wienerschnitzel
Wienerschnitzel is an American fast food chain founded in 1961 that specializes in hot dogs, but is currently expanding to other items. Wienerschnitzel locations are found almost exclusively in California and Texas, though others are located in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, New Mexico,...

. Most Woody's locations are found at Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...

 home improvement
Home improvement
Home improvement, home renovation or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home.-Types of home improvement:...

 centers across the western U.S., Hawaii Navy Base, with Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

 being their biggest area.

History

Woody's was started by the Meyer family in 1987 in Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

, as a special events concession company. The family of five would do various events ranging from "Family Sunday" at the Bishop Museum
Bishop Museum
The Bishop Museum , is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu...

 to Super Bowl Sunday at the home of known public figures, catering event at the famous Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....

house and UH football games, including the Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium.

Since their inception, Woody's has constantly worked on doing more with less. In the early 1990s, Woody's started a few regular locations around the island. These locations included the Bishop Museum
Bishop Museum
The Bishop Museum , is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu...

, Dole
Dole
Dole may refer to:*The Grain supply to the city of Rome in ancient times.* Since the early 20th Century, a colloquial term referring to government public assistance programs; see Unemployment benefits. Originally it referred to any charitable gift of food, clothing or money. The dole has taken on...

 Pineapple Cannery, and Home Improvement Warehouse (owned by parent company Pay-N-Pak, Scofield, Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Camp Smith, Tripler Hospital, Hawaii Maritime Museum, Waikiki and Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. Within a few years, the blossoming relationship with Pay n Pac's Home Improvement Warehouse allowed Woody's the opportunity to open a concession at the newest hardware concept, Eagle Hardware & Garden.

Within a year, Eagle offered Woody's the rights to open franchises in new stores in Colorado, California, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

 and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. Today, these are still some of Woody's most recognized markets.

In 1998, Eagle Hardware was purchased by the hardware mega-giant Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...

. After the purchase, Lowe's approached Woody's about providing service to 300 of their stores within a five-year period. Woody's was unable to fulfill that commitment.

Today, Woody's has only 22 concessions (hot dog carts) in states spanning from their original home in Hawaii to their home office in Colorado, with the strongest emphasis still put on their relationship with Lowe's.

Woody's has had a drastic decline in franchised locations in the last 2 years. They have lost numerous franchisees. They are down to 22 locations from a high of almost 90, 4 years ago.
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