The Chicago 1930s Hot Dog Stand That Sold 'Depression Sandwiches' For 5 Cents Is Still Around Today

When times are tough, small business owners have to be tougher. Such is the case with Abe "Fluky" Drexler, the founder of Fluky's, who in 1929 converted his father's vegetable cart in Chicago into a hot dog stand. The stand would eventually claim credit for inventing the Chicago-style hot dog, but Fluky's signature offering was the "Depression Sandwich." This thrifty frankfurter came topped with mustard, relish, onions, pickles, hot peppers, lettuce, and tomatoes and was served with french fries. The complete assembly cost 5 cents. For vegetarians, a "Garden on a Bun" offered the loaded sandwich sans sausage for 2 cents. 

Fluky's generous builds provided sustenance for locals struggling through the Depression, and the business was known to feed those who couldn't manage to hand over a nickel for the meal. The concept helped Fluky's cement its name, and the stand eventually expanded into several locations, even landing the title of the largest hot dog stand in Chicago.

The meat rationing of World War II forced Fluky's to shutter three out of its four locations, but the brand persisted. Not only did Fluky's reopen, but the business evolved throughout the decades. Customers still remember packages of Fluky's hot dog bubble gum that were placed at the ends of counters nearby cash registers.

Though the last freestanding Chicago location closed in 2006, Fluky's lives on inside a Walmart in Niles, Illinois. Hot dogs packed with the traditional fixings are still on the menu, alongside other snacks and meals like burritos, burgers, pretzels, Italian beef sandwiches, churros, chicken quesadillas, and breakfast foods. A hot dog and fries costs $4.10, or customers can order a pure beef Polish sausage for $6.10. "Great Italian Beefs, great Dogs and the fries are excellent. The guys who work here are top-notch too," wrote one customer on Yelp. The fan base remains so committed that one customer wrote on TripAdvisor, "All Walmarts should have a Fluky's attached." Some memories even time cannot erase.