Who hasn't visited once or twice? The hot dog cart on Ridgefield's Main Street was listed as one of the 1,000 places to go before you die. And Martha Stewart loves it. Plus, The Hot Dog Man has a unique history.
But what about Ridgefield's other roaming food services. The new ones, run by entrepeneurs. Don't they get some love? Well, it depends.
Some new vendors may find it difficult to find a place in town to sell their food and treats because of town officials.
According to the Ridgefield Health Department, there are 13 separate establishments set up as "itinerant vendors" in town. Two of them are locations for Chez Lenard. Most are ice cream trucks.
But as new vendors look for a way in, they need to go through the Board of Selectmen.
Greg Zawacki went before the Selectmen last week with an application to launch the "Zawack Shack" on Rte. 35 in the Party Depot parking lot with the owner's permission.
His application was not denied but put off, and it sparked a conversation about the possible limitation of vendors in town.
Selectwoman Maureen Kozlark asked if the establishment might create competition for nearby restaurants and suggested a policy be put in place for a limitation on the number of street vendors allowed in Ridgefield.
Kozlark added, though, that the board should be fair to both people putting in their applications for street vending and to those who pay rent to operate at an established address.
"Can we discriminate by not allowing more than one on Main Street, though?" asked First Selectman Rudy Marconi, referencing the fact that the hot dog stand cannot have exclusive rights to all of Main Street.
Competition can be fierce on the summer food circuit -- show up at the wrong beach and you can end up in a feud with rival ice cream vendors.
Selectwoman Di Masters, who has had children that operate ice cream trucks, said, "It's better when they work together. It gets nasty sometimes."
Of course, there were the complaints from nearby stores that the scent of saurkraut seeped in occasionally, Selectwoman Barbara Manners brought up.
"How do you decide if there's a limit?" Manners said.
Many complaints, Masters said, came from Ridgefielders who said ice cream vendors at parks and beaches are too plentiful.
Selectman Andy Bodner said he would like to see some policy set forth later.
Marconi said he would research the issue for a vote on April 25.
