Petersburg: Reporter lends a hand at The Dixie on National Hot Dog Day, shares experience

On National Hot Dog Day, I pitched in at the Dixie Restaurant for an hour on one of their busiest days of the year. It wasn't a paid gig. My friend Stacy Brooks worked as a waitress there for four years and loved it. I wanted a slice of that positive pie. Owners Charlie and Francis "Frannie" Rawlings welcomed The Social Butterfly to the iconic restaurant established over 100 years ago.

"It truly was one of the best and funnest jobs I ever had. Frannie and Charlie are so kind and a joy to work for. We had such good times working really hard but making it fun as well. The regulars and locals that visited every week were worth all the hard work," Brooks shared. "I have some really good memories with serving some of the best customers and working with some great people as well."

"Charlie and I had been frequent diners at The Dixie when Geneva Ramsey owned it. We loved it and the sense of community that you felt when you were there. That was what we really wanted to carry over when we decided to reopen it in 2011," Frannie said. "We took the menu back to its southern roots providing more traditional southern comfort food than had been served prior to that time."

Petersburg: The Dixie celebrates National Hot Dog Day

Each year on the third Wednesday in July, the Rawlings try to break their own record of the most hot dogs sold in eight hours. My friend Ban Rafey of Hopewell kindly designed a "Hot Diggity Dog" t-shirt for me to wear during my adventure. I arrived at noon to find customers lined up outside waiting to get in. Two familiar peeps, Virginia Delegate Mike Cherry and Brad Slaybaugh, walked out as I walked in.

"Brad and I dropped by the famous Dixie Restaurant to help celebrate," Cherry said. "We did our part to help break the record."

Frannie took me in the back, handed me an apron and quickly showed me where to place the trash, dirty dishes and cutlery after clearing tables. She pointed out where to wash my hands and asked me to refill diners' drinks as needed. This was not my first rodeo in a fast-paced restaurant. In high school, my first official job with a paycheck was at Long John Silver's in Clinton, Iowa. Like The Dixie's, the space in the back where all the action took place was very cramped. Team members had to learn how to maneuver without crashing into each other.

At Long John Silver's, diners cleared their own tables. At The Dixie, the plastic tubs filled with plates, bowls, silverware, empty and partially filled cups, etc. were pretty darn heavy. I saw it as a perfect opportunity to burn calories. The first time I toted one to the dishwashing area, I backed into the swinging doors, but it felt a wee bit awkward, so I went frontwards the rest of the time. As if I was back at Long John Silver's, I stated "hot behind" as I walked behind other team members. I received strange looks and a couple of chuckles.

Besides being the owners, the Rawlings also work as managers, cooks, bussers, dishwashers, prep cooks and servers on an as needed basis. "We have approximately 13 employees. The employee that has worked for the longest is Trisha Edins. She is our head server and has worked for us for almost 10 years. She is an amazing server and person," Frannie said.

The Dixie crew as well as the volunteers, friends and family members of the Rawlings, were extremely friendly. They addressed me by my first name and guided me along the way. It was fun listening to diners reminisce about their many years spent at The Dixie. I met Martin Deal who was treating his 96-year-old mama Francis Deal to lunch.

"I used to come to The Dixie when Louis Plakas owned it, and they had the train that went all the way around. Me and my daddy used to get hot dogs all the time, and I've been coming ever since then under each ownership," Martin Deal said. "It's wonderful to have a place like this where everyone can meet and you see so many people you know and talk to. Sometimes, I can't get out of here because I'm talking to everybody, but I love people."

Petersburg: Hot dog lovers dine at The Dixie

Colonial Heights resident Paul Bowles who devoured eight different dogs at The Dixie last year on National Hot Dog Day stopped by again for the celebration. In 2023, he along with other hot dog lovers helped break the previous record of 432. The Dixie sold 680 hot dogs in eight hours.

"This year, I only ate five. The Pimento Dog is the best," Bowles said. "We ordered 15 dogs at this table. Nothing beats a Dixie hot dog," Jackie Stuller of Colonial Heights said.

Per Bowles's suggestion, I gave the Pimento Dog a whirl and loved it. It is The Dixie's famous Dixie Dog which is made with chili sauce, mustard and onions, topped with pimento cheese made by Frannie. Diner Jonathan Terry of Disputanta seated on the stool next to me ordered three Slaw Dogs which he doused with hot sauce and a Pimento Dog.

"My go-to is the Slaw Dog, but I order a Pimento Dog for dessert," Terry said. "I come every year to try and help them break their record. They have a lot of good food." I noticed that he ate his dessert dog prior to his final Slaw Dog, so I called him out on it. "Ya, I really wanted it," he retorted.

Sharon Pohlke of Prince George dining in a booth shared, "I usually treat my grandkids and great grandkids to breakfast here. My favorite is the biscuits and gravy." Linda Harrison of Matoaca dined on the patio with family members. As her grandson Jordan Harrison ordered another hot dog, she shared, "If we sit here long enough, we'll have to try all eight of them." Dining at the counter wearing a Dixie Restaurant souvenir cap, Bruce Hanson said, "I come here often but came today to make sure they beat their record. The Yankee Dog is my favorite."

"I come here three or four times a week to get out of the heat," Timothy "Tim" Meadows of Dinwiddie said. "I always get The Spiel Burger. It's my favorite." The Spiel Burger served with chips and a pickle spear is inspired by the director of the movie Lincoln which was filmed in Petersburg. It is dressed and topped with cheese and chili sauce. Meadows treated his grandpa Wayne Holloman of Chesterfield to lunch. "It's my first time here. It's nice, very crowded, fine service. The hamburger is dressed really good," Holloman said.

Old Towne Petersburg: Diners' favorites at Dixie Restaurant

I asked the Rawlings to provide the top sellers for each category on their menu. Here is a list of what diners order the most:

• Breakfast: Two-egg plate with home fries, bacon or sausage and a biscuit or toast
• Hot dog: Dixie Dog
• Burger: Cheeseburger
• Southern fried: Fried catfish basket
• Hot sandwich: Cheese Steak Hoagie
• Cold sandwich: The Petersburg Club
• Salad or cold plate: Chef salad
• Soup: Navy bean soup
• Drink: Sweet tea

Frannie and Charlie could not decide on a top seller for the final three categories listed:

• Hot plate specials [top three]: Baked chicken, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings
• Dessert [top three]: Chocolate meringue, lemon chess, coconut custard made by Marjorie "Marge" Baker, former owner of Nottoway Restaurant
• Southern sides [top three]: Mac and cheese, spoon bread, collard greens

"The chili sauce for the hot dogs was created by Louie Plakas back in the 40s, and we still use his recipe. It is certainly famous in Petersburg," Frannie said. "Many of the other recipes were from Mary Damon who was our head cook when we opened in 2011. She had worked for Geneva Ramsey for years and then cooked at Fort Lee before we were able to track her down and hire her. She was an amazing cook who made everything taste good."

The Dixie has been at 250 N. Sycamore Street in Old Towne Petersburg since 1939. According to Frannie, it operated out of a couple of other addresses along Sycamore Street previously. It is open from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday for breakfast and lunch. For more information and to view a menu, visit dixierestaurant.site. Follow them on Facebook at Dixie Restaurant.

"We fell short of our goal but not by much. Womp Womp. It wasn’t for lack of customer or staff support, so I’ll blame it on the heat. Nevertheless, it was a bad day to be a hotdog. Customers lined up at the door to wait for a seat to eat a hot dog or two or six," Frannie posted on Facebook. "We had a super fun day. It was filled with our amazing customers and our hard-working employees and volunteers. The kitchen kept us supplied with hot dogs and all the fixings while the crew up front was a hot dog assembly line like no other. Thanks for playing along and for your continued support. We love and appreciate you all."

The Rawlings sold 630 hot dogs this year, 51 shy of breaking the record. Frannie told me I did a great job, and she's ready to hire me part-time. I had a blast, and I appreciate bussers even more now that I have walked in their shoes. To view additional images, read this story at progress-index.com.

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Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly, an award-winning columnist, is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@progress-index.com, follow @KHiggins_PI on X and @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram.

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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg: Reporter lends a hand at The Dixie on National Hot Dog Day, shares experience