Few foods are as associated with watching baseball games than hot dogs. And few ballpark hot dogs are as iconic as the ones they serve at Dodger Stadium. Dodger Dogs are a favorite of many a ballpark regular, and a 2018 article at LAist traced the decades-long history of what the article termed “one of the most iconic team dishes of any sports league.” This includes Farmer John, who became the official supplier of Dodger Dogs in the 1960s.
That long history came to an end this year, however. While Dodger Dogs will still be on the menu — the team owns the name — the dogs themselves are now coming from somewhere else.
Writing at Sportico, Brendan Coffey has the story of this seismic shift in stadium sausage. The article notes that Farmer John “decided not to renew the contract at its prior terms, and negotiations between the parties since have failed to reach an agreement.” So if the next Dodger Dog you try tastes a little different from the ones you’ve eaten in past seasons, that’s why.
The Sportico article also notes that, despite its modest name, Farmer John is owned by Smithfield Foods — the company responsible for the bulk of the world’s hot dogs. As for how the circa-2021 Dodger Dogs hold up in comparison to the earlier version, that’s one for the fans to decide.
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