Hot Dog! Irving’s for Red Hot Lovers relishes in 50 years of success, hall-of-fame induction

Andrew Greensphan was a sophomore at New Trier West High School when his father, Irving, opened Irving’s for Red Hot Lovers in 1975.

As a teenager, Greensphan spent his afternoons working behind the counter at Irving’s, 3207 Lake Ave. in Wilmette, and as the owner’s son, he was always on call — a role that he jokingly described as “indentured servitude.”

Fifty years later, Greensphan still spends his days in the Lake Avenue storefront. Only now, he’s the owner and since the mid-1990s has entered the franchise business, updated menu items, kept Irving’s afloat through the COVID-19 pandemic and, as of June, landed the restaurant a spot in the Vienna Beef Hot Dog Hall of Fame.

While the times have changed, Greensphan said Irving’s service style has not.

To this day, Greensphan maintains Irving’s commitment to high-quality foods, including Chicago dogs and Merkts cheese fries, and customer service.

“What I love is when I come in here every day and I see people who are appreciative of Irving’s being here after 50 years,” Greensphan said. “It’s really what keeps me going.”

On Friday, July 18, the restaurant commemorated its 50th anniversary, in honor of its opening on July 17, 1975, with a community celebration. The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local leaders, in-store promotions and a raffle.

Greensphan said approximately 100 people attended, including Village President Senta Plunkett, WGN’s Bob Sirott (a Wilmette resident) and even a longtime customer who traveled from Florida.

The celebration also acknowledged Irving’s induction into the Vienna Beef Hot Dog Hall of Fame, making it the 157th business to join the institution since its inception in 2006.

Representatives from Vienna Beef attended the ceremony and presented Greensphan with a plaque that now hangs above the restaurant’s counter.

“I think that the mark that Irving’s has left in the hot dog business in Chicago is part of the legacy that Vienna wanted included, besides 50 years of business and selling a lot of their products,” Greensphan said.

Greensphan was in contact with Vienna Beef regarding Irving’s Hall of Fame admission since the winter. To earn the hall-of-fame honor, a hot dog restaurant must meet various criteria, including contributing to one’s community, serving Vienna Beef products for a number of years and prioritizing customer satisfaction.

After coordinating with Vienna to offer specific products and update signage to meet requirements, Greensphan said his hopes to join the hall of fame came to fruition.

The induction is one of many accomplishments for Irving’s. One of the biggest, Greensphan said, was the development of a franchise program.

After Greensphan graduated from Purdue University in 1982 with a degree in nutrition, which he described as an “oxymoron” given his business, he opened an Irving’s location at Lincoln Avenue and Kimball Avenue. Irving’s began franchising in the ’90s and expanded to 14 outlets, including four in the Loop and two in Japan, among other locations.

Although many of these locations have since closed, Greensphan still reflects on the time as “a really great educational experience.”

Greensphan also has a commitment to staying involved locally. Since Irving’s opened, Greensphan said he has supplied food for school events, sports teams and “anything that (he) can sponsor to assist in the village.”

Through it all, Greensphan has had the support of his wife, his employees and, of course, his customers.

“A lot of people make this a destination because it’s such a traditional place; it’s been part of their lives,” Greensphan said. “I get three generations of people coming in. … It’s very rewarding to have that type of recognition in the business.”

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