HOUSTON — It happens three nights a week in Rice Village. People stand in line in the hot, the cold, even the rain to get their hands on... a hotdog.
From five-star restaurants to award-winning chefs, Houston has some of the best foods in the world.
But every Friday night in Rice Village, a line wraps around the block - for hotdogs.
“I see this line, and I'm like what is going on?" customer Michael Savarese said. "And someone is like hotdogs. And I'm like hotdogs?! Are you kidding?!"
An iconic American entrée is captivating a whole crowd of hungry people as they wait - some, over an hour – for a hotdog from a food cart.
“Great hotdogs, great flavors, a little unusual, consistent," customer Mitch Weikert said.
Weikert shows up an hour early and even brings his own chair.
“Once you have one, you’ll know," Weikert said.
It’s Yoyo’s Hotdog, crafted by chef Yoyo himself.
“Each hotdog, I try to make it as perfect as possible, every single hotdog," chef Yoyo said.
And the little beauty has layers. Starting with a toasted, cream cheese bun, the all-beef hotdog is topped off with grilled and fried onions and two different sauces.
“I put this honey mayo and the siracha on it, and I put my heart in it," chef Yoyo said. “I try to like, rather than selling hotdogs, I sell me.”
Yoyo actually went to school to be a sushi chef, but he settled on the hotdog, an American classic to help complete his American dream.
“I've been over-blessed by the Lord, thank you so much," Yoyo said.
An immigrant from Korea, Yoyo knew, to find success, he had to start small.
“Hotdogs saved my life," Yoyo said.
But now, he’s thinking big. He’s finally opening his first brick-and-mortar shop next week.
“I want to go to the airport," Yoyo said.
And he wants to bring his only menu item to airports across America.
“Tell them what the Houston hotdog is all about," Yoyo said.
The Houston hotdog changed Yoyo’s life, and maybe even yours too.
“It’ll change your life," Yoyo said.