The History Of Los Angeles' Beloved Pink's Hot Dogs

If you're talking hot dogs in Los Angeles, it's Pink's. This is the spot with the shockingly bright pink banner waving above a non-stop queue of hungry customers ... where the same brand of hot dogs that launched a legacy almost a century ago still sizzle today. But you don't come here just for the hot dogs — you come here to feel like family.

I find Pink's Hot Dogs owner, Richard Pink, mixing it up with the lunch rush. He's at ease amidst buzzy tourists and locals waiting on freshly-made chili dogs, extra crispy oven fries, burgers, onion rings, and sodas. The hot dog toppings are works of art, with bacon and sliced jalapeños serving as final touches. We shake hands. In a town full of people acting the part, his smile feels genuine and warm. A tourist couple asks if Richard and I are waiting in line. "This is Richard Pink! He owns this," I tell them, drawing an air-circle around the building. They are star-struck. "Welcome to Pink's! Where are you from?" he asks. Both from South Korea, they snap photos with Richard who's too gracious to admit his celebrity status.

If Pink's is a Los Angeles icon, Richard Pink is a national treasure. I got to chat with him over — hot dogs, what else? — at the place he lovingly refers to as "The longest-running show in Hollywood." Here's the delicious, iconic, and star-studded history of Pink's Hot Dogs. May it live forever.

Richard Pink's parents, Betty and Paul, launched the original Pink's hot dog cart in 1939 with not much more than $50 and a dream. "A good hot dog ... and tasty chili," is how Richard describes his parents' business model. "That was it."

After scouring the local paper for jobs, the twenty-somethings found a hot dog cart looking for a home and borrowed the cash to buy it from Betty's mom. Betty wheeled the cart two miles, to their future location, they whipped up some signage, cooked up a menu, and Pink's Hot Dogs was born. As the story goes, they had to hook up the cart to a neighboring hardware store since their own lot was just dirt and weeds. Richard points toward the intersection of Detroit Street and Melrose Avenue, roughly 500 feet away. "I didn't know they made extension cords that long," I joke. "Well, it was one after the other because there was no way they could get that cart to operate without electricity," Richard says.

With no knowledge of the food industry, Betty and Paul worked side jobs to keep the lights on (or the cart plugged in)."[1941] to '46 ... my mom had a part-time job as a florist. My dad had a part-time job as a bookkeeper," Richard notes. Lured in by 10-cent hot dogs and 5-cent drinks at the hot dog cart, fans couldn't get enough.

The series of rosy-painted buildings adjacent to Pink's now serve as office and storage spaces, complete with murals for Instagram-worthy photo ops. But back in 1946, that little pushcart was about to transform into a bona fide restaurant.

Leveraging the foot traffic from nearby Disney, Charlie Chaplin Studios, Paramount, and CBS studios, plus a steady stream of LA transplants who "All wanted to go to a hot dog stand that reminded them of Pittsburgh" (or wherever home was), Richard Pink says, Betty and Paul upgraded their operations — mostly because they had to. When the landlord jacked their $15-a-month rent up to $25, 10-cent dogs weren't quite cutting it.

So how did a young couple with no capital flip a pushcart into a landmark? They sweet-talked their local bank manager into a $4,000 loan to buy the property — which he lent them since he didn't want to lose his regular lunch spot. Then, an enterprising relative got to work. "In '46 a cousin of ours came to my folks and said, 'Look, I want to become a contractor. I've got to prove I can build something. Let me build you a hot dog stand at cost.'" A couple of years later, they added a flower shop to the lot (that now sells home goods) where the couple also sold prom corsages and arrangements for funerals, bar mitzvahs, and weddings.

Betty Pink's own chili recipe still tops the dog that became Pink's signature in 1949. When I poke around for clues on how to make it, Richard says of his mom, "Well, she read about the recipe, cooked it up, [and] said 'This is really good.'" (He lays it out like anyone could make a best-selling chili.) The chili has been crafted off-site by the same vendor for over 60 years (in an underground vault, I assume). And while Pink's Famous Chili Dog with mustard, onions, and chili costs a little more than 10 cents these days, it still tastes like it always did.

Pink's has always grilled all-beef Hoffy brand hot dogs with natural casings — which feature a show-stopping, extra-long profile. "Well, there's 7-inch and there's 9-inch," Richard explains, "Because people love to eat and they don't want it to finish, so they just keep going." It's been a winning strategy with customers — several of which rub elbows with Richard, and reveal that they've been eating at Pink's for 40 (or even 60) years. I ask why Hoffy never made a bun long enough to match the dogs. Richard says it's designed to keep your first bite free of the bread (which is perfectly pillowy, by the way) so you can really taste those succulent Hoffy flavors.

The celebrity photo wall at Pink's showcases some of the biggest names in Hollywood, with autographed headshots from stars like Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Aretha Franklin, Quentin Tarantino, Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dog, Serena Williams, and Cindy Crawford. But it's not just about who's been there — it's about who grabbed a hot dog hoping for a big break.

"Way back in the early days, people that would move to Hollywood would want to get discovered," Richard Pink explains of the up-and-coming crowd of the 1940s. "Actors would come in here and they would [post] their pictures hoping to get discovered." Over time the wall transformed into a who's who of Pink's hot dog core. Oprah's photo hangs near a German TV host I don't recognize, but I continue basking in the star-powered glow emanating from the wall. I remark that Dolly Parton seems most dressed the part to promote Pink's in her pink satin blazer. "She's perfect, right?" Richard laughs. "She's so smart."

These days, Richard Pink runs the show with his sister Beverly and his wife Gloria, keeping the family legacy alive. But there was a time when the future of Pink's Hot Dogs wasn't so certain.

This isn't Richard's first rodeo. At age 15, when he wasn't hitting the books at nearby Fairfax High School, he was working the counter at Pink's. Flash forward to 1986, and his parents Betty and Paul hit a crossroads. Richard remembers, "My parents said ... 'Look, we're too old. We're going to sell [Pink's] unless you want to come in and take it over.'" At the time, Richard was in real estate and Gloria had been working as a school teacher. They took over operations, with Gloria handling marketing and people, and Richard managing licensing and menu creation. (He doesn't let a single dog hit the menu that won't be ordered at least 20 or 30 times every day.) In 2016, Richard walked away from real estate and became a full-fledged hot dog mogul with Gloria handing him the reins and telling him, "'It's been 40 years, you can now do it all.'" You'll still catch Gloria and Beverly — dressed in the brand colors — alongside Richard at every event for anything Pink's.

You don't have to pine for the good old days at Pink's. Today's menu features most of the original items ... because, well, there were just three total. Back in 1946, you could drive up for curb service at Pink's and choose from a hot dog, a burger, or a soda.

Now the menu features the original lineup — prepared just like it always was — along with plenty of twists to keep things interesting. Richard Pink tells me there are roughly 40 different hot dogs on rotation at any one time along with 12 different burgers. And that's in addition to a variety of loaded fries, crispy onion rings, and generous slices of cake for dessert. (Five stars for the coconut cake with coconut frosting, which is Richard's favorite too.) When I asked how many hot dogs were going out the door, Richard bet an average of 1,200 to 1,500 hot dogs were sold every day. Check my frankfurter math, but that's a whole lotta weenies.

As we mosey around Pink's, Richard Pink chats up excited customers like the mayor of Hot Dog Town, where everyone's happily snacking. But no matter how much you love hot dogs, you'll never take filmmaker Orson Welles' title for most chili dogs eaten. I double (hot) dog dare you to try.

Just after Pink's opened, and Welles was busy shooting 1941's "Citizen Cane," he found solace in Pink's Hot Dogs. The anecdote alleges that the talented Welles ate a whopping 18 chili dogs in one sitting. (It probably didn't hurt that Welles was a larger man, and therefore, as some might imagine, more capable of this feat.) There has yet to be a menu item honoring Welles for the task — perhaps one that features 18 hot dogs topped with chili on a single bun, plus a Pink's t-shirt for anyone who can polish it off. Maybe it's one of those mystical Hollywood tales (Richard says it was once a question on "Jeopardy"), but I don't care. This is the kind of Hollywood storytelling that keeps the magic of Pink's alive — and I'm eating up every last bit of it. Just ... probably not 18 chili dogs worth.

Part of Pink's success comes thanks to location, location, location. And in 2018, its iconic setting at the intersection of La Brea Avenue and Melrose Avenue earned an official designation from the City of Los Angeles, as Pink's Square.

Attracting celebrities, local officials, and plenty of fans, the 78th-anniversary dedication featured pink balloons, pink classic cars, and of course, hot dogs. While the electrical posts at each corner of the intersection were fastened with signage honoring Paul and Betty Pink's first push cart, there was also talk of painting the crosswalks pink — a plan that never materialized. When I asked about the idea, Richard Pink explained that the maintenance on such a stunt wasn't worth the cash for someone who puts his money where his heart is. "It was like 30,000 a year," he shared. "I could spend that money elsewhere ... for charity."

A quick glance over the Pink's menu and you'll uncover a veritable Hollywood celebrity tour — via custom frankfurters. But rather than promoting the stars, these griddled A-listers act as snack-sized fundraisers, with proceeds going to all sorts of charities.

The first-ever celebrity dog was the 9-inch stretch Rosie O'Donnell Long Island Hot Dog with mustard, onions, chili, and sauerkraut, in the 1990s. And many celeb dogs have been featured on the menu ever since. Martha Stewart inspired her namesake dog by what she ordered for herself (the only dog with sauerkraut and sour cream), but the Giada De Laurentiis Dog — heavy on the mozzarella — was designed by the Italian chef herself. Shaq, Mario Lopez, Ozzy Osbourne, Emeril Lagasse, and Drew Barrymore all have dogs, along with just about every major Los Angeles sports team. For the 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers World Series, Pink's sold a Blues Dog with all proceeds going to the Dodgers Foundation. "I just wrote them a check for $5,000 from the sale of about 1,250 Dodger Blues Dogs," Richard shares.

The motley crew of Pink's honorees also included Betty White with her "Betty 'Naked in the City' Hot Dog," in 2010. Now called the Naked Dog, Pink's donated 100% of its sales to the Los Angeles Zoo — in White's memory — when she died in 2022.

Pink's offers an oasis in the middle of the second largest city in the U.S., where the non-stop hustle can wear on your spirit. But nothing ground LA to a halt like the lockdowns of 2020. It was then that Pink's closed for the first time — ever. "You couldn't get an ambulance in the city, it was so bad," Richard Pink remembers.  

Pink's closed for a full five months, following local ordinances. In late 2020, it opened for a time before temporarily shutting down once again. Luckily for fans, once the dust settled, Pink's came back without missing a beat — with most of its loyal staff on board. "Many of them that are behind the counter right now have been at Pink's for 20 or 30 years," Richard explains. When I remark with a wink that it must be a pretty okay place to work, he smiles, saying, "They don't leave. We take really good care."

Richard Pink's restaurant experience involves "Eight Wows," as he calls them. He explains, "When [customers] walk up and they see a 1946 hot dog stand, you go, 'Wow.' You see the menu with all the varieties of hot dogs, you go, 'Wow.' You see all the movie stars and you go, 'Wow.' You walk outside and you see this patio or you see [this mural], you go, 'Wow.'" He's interrupted by wowed customers before he can detail the other four. But Richard Pink is definitely one of them.

Of course, those wows captured the eye of Hollywood, too. (No iconic landmark in this city goes un-filmed!) Pink's Hot Dogs has appeared in 2001's David Lynch directed "Mulholland Drive," 1986's "The Golden Child" starring Eddie Murphy, and the James Woods-led "The Boost" in 1988. It's also been featured on Comedy Central's "Nathan For You," "Lucifer," "Ray Donovan," and "Bosch," among others. I ask Richard why Pink's doesn't have its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and he tells me he's still trying to figure out if Pink's qualifies as a celebrity.

Pink's Hot Dogs is a thriving bastion from a bygone era. But even though the menu is delightfully old-school, Pink's philosophy is not. "Eat in moderation," Richard Pink shares of modern wisdom. "This is an indulgence ... [but] you can eat it once a month."

Pink's holds steady while other nearby restaurants come and go. (A former Chipotle next door might turn into a Crumbl Cookies.) But that's probably because Pink's stays in tune with its fanbase. With trends toward vegan and plant-based, Richard offers everyone a seat at the table. "Well, we went to the veggie dog ... We went to the turkey dog," he says, referencing the Turkey Dog and The Patt Morrison "Beyond" Veggie Dog. "We moved a little bit in that direction." But I still doubt anyone's messing with his mom's chili recipe.

Every day feels like a party at Pink's, but for its 85th anniversary this year, Pink's rolled out the Pink's carpet, so to speak, with chili dog specials and an all-star line-up working the kitchen. The eatery sold 85-cent chili dogs for charity for 85 minutes, beginning at 8:05 p.m. each night from November 8 through November 12. This type of annual party's been going on since the outpost's 59th anniversary when the hot dogs were 59 cents.

The fundraising event saw Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass behind the counter serving hot dogs, as well as actor Henry Winkler, and comedians George Lopez and Gabriel Iglesias. All the proceeds from hot dog sales will go to the charities of each star's choice. I ask Richard what he might have up his sleeve for Pink's 100th anniversary in 2039. While he could easily rake it in with viral $100 hot dogs, he brushes that off, saying, "It would probably be a dollar."

I spent most of my visit to Pink's sitting at an outside table on the sunshine-dappled back patio with the inimitable Richard Pink, tasting some incredible hot dogs. Between bites of the spicy El Cucuy; Martha Stewart's Dog; and the onion ring-stacked, barbecue-sauced Lord of The Rings Dog, I inquired about Richard's favorites on the menu. Like, for real.

If he were ever stranded on a desert island, Richard would take Pink's Philly Cheesesteak Dog with sautéed peppers and onions, melted American and Swiss cheese, and crispy-grilled Philly cheesesteak-style beef. Then he taps the 9-inch stretch Carl Reiner Dog for its flawless mustard and sauerkraut combo. And lastly, The Brando Dog makes the cut since it comes with his mom's chili.

While I'm waiting for Richard to publish the Pink's tell-all that I want him to write, I'm comforted by the fact that there are people like him in Hollywood. While he surely keeps a packed schedule, he spends several hours a day at Pink's, chatting up customers, and checking in with staff. "I want everybody to know I care," he says. Next time you're jonesing for a legendary hot dog that feels like a warm hug, you know where to find it.