An ad for the original Sneaky Pete'sThe last stop on that first trip downtown was the “memorial visit” to the location of the original Sneaky Pete’s Hot Dogs on Southside. The first location of a Sneaky Pete’s was on the south side of 8th Avenue South, now called University Boulevard, just a few doors east of 20th street. Notice the ad displayed above: it makes me wonder how many people today would know where "the Town House" is.
Sneaky Pete’s quickly became well known and became a fixture in Birmingham Dining. The chain was started by Pete Graphos in 1966. Pete was joined soon after by his brothers, Sam & Jimmy. They took what could have been just another urban hot dog stand and turned it into an industry as they started licensing franchise locations in 1973. The brothers each eventually took their own directions, each having his own location and eventually selling the chain.
I had started the hot dog tour with plans to visit at least one Sneaky Pete’s before finished. Sneaky Pete's clearly has a good product and has become a household name in the Birmingham area; but a serious visit on this tour will come later after visiting more of the unique mom and pop operations. These will include the the hot dog stands started by Sam and Jimmy.
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