Max Jacobson, whose job it is to observe and critique the increasingly eclectic restaurant scene in this booming desert metropolis, is the kind of down-to-earth foodie who isn’t ashamed to be seen shoving a hot dog into his mouth at a local megaplex.
In fact, after an impromptu nosh at a screening of upcoming films at the Orleans Cinema here, he welcomed an invitation to tour the exhibition floor of the ShoWest convention held here last week. Each year, distributors of both time-honored and experimental snacks set up shop at this gathering of the world’s theater owners.
“I’m a stand-up sausage eater, as Calvin Trillin once said,” Jacobson said after being encouraged to sample the Chicago-style hot dog being served at the booth belonging to the Eisenberg Gourmet Beef Frank Co. “This is a plump, spicy all-beef hot dog that beats the typical multiplex hot dog into the ground. Where, though, were the celery salt and kosher dill pickle?”
Eisenberg has been servicing Chicago-area theaters ever since the fabled days of the Balaban & Katz chain. You won’t find the company’s products at the local hot dog stand, only at cinemas, sports venues and convention halls from coast to coast.
“Hot dogs have been around a long time,” said Ed Weinshenker, who was manning the much-frequented booth. “But theater owners have only just caught on that consumers who might head for the concessions stand for an entree, might then come back for dessert. But, you have to have a quality entree for repeat business, and we do.”
Weinshenker may be one of the only people west of O’Hare to refer to a hot dog as a “gourmet sandwich,” without, that is, even the slightest hint of irony.
Nonetheless, he was one of several vendors here who tried to convince conventioneers to provide something nutritious and tasty, for more adventurous tastes.
Another familiar name, Connie’s Pizza, also was on hand to give theater owners a taste of Chicago. The company’s pies can be purchased in personal sizes, or by the slice — deep dish or thin crust.
The Connie’s Food Products display was situated only a few yards away from Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels, which hit the beach at last year’s convention. The Chicago-based firm was among a small handful of other up-scale pretzelmakers who survived the battles to return to ShoWest again (another was the southern California-based Bavarian Bros., which has expanded into the all-beef frank market, as well, with the Bad Boy Hot Dog).
Finding franks and pizza alongside espresso and Godiva chocolate at the Bijou hardly raises an eyebrow anymore. Would it surprise you to discover, however, that some moviegoers now are able, with the touch of a button at a Hot Choice vending machine, to order from a reasonably appetizing selection of chicken strips, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and french fries — or that a palatable Philadelphia cheese steak and meatball hero now comes in the form of a zapped Zoli pocket sandwich?
“We serve baba ganoush and hummous with Turkish bread, and we have a caterer who brings in deli sandwiches,” said James Tomashoff, sampling the guacamole dip at the Zoli booth. “Popcorn and soda are our biggest items, still.” Tomashoff, who runs a six-screen art house near Washington, D.C., knows he has to offer more adult fare to his customers than the now-standard array of neon-colored sour candies and line of nachos.
“Our overall profit margin is nothing compared to a regular theater, and our spoilage is a lot higher,” he said. “The Landmark chain (of art houses) does about $1.33 per capita, while we do about $1.65. At a theater that caters to younger audiences, that number goes up to $3 or more.