Wednesday, July 21 is National Hot Dog Day, and News 3 is taking action to get to the bottom of a troublesome problem for many: Why are hot dogs and buns sold in different quantities, and can something be done about that?
German immigrants first brought frankfurters to the United States in the 1800s. As time passed, hot dogs have become synonymous with American culture - at the cookout, the baseball game, and of course, the Fourth of July holiday.
The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates Americans eat some seven billion hot dogs from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year - averaging out to 818 hot dogs per second.
So why can you buy hot dogs in packs of 10 and buns in packs of eight?
According to some economists, it's all about trying to get you to buy more hot dogs.
But now, at least one company is working to change that.
Heinz Ketchup has launched the "Hot Dog Pact" - a petition on change.org calling on bun and wiener companies to fix this annoying mismatch packaging dilemma.
So far, more than 29 thousand people have signed, with a goal of 35 thousand signatures.
In the meantime, some of Hampton Roads' local hot dog stands are offering National Hot Dog Day deals, including Sam's Hot Dog Stand in Newport News, Copeland's Hot Dogs in Portsmouth and Bill's Hot Dogs in Chesapeake. If you drop by one of those stores and mention News 3, you'll get a discount.
