I first tried a McGill Hot Dog Guy hot dog in April 2024, while visiting Montreal. And less than a year later, I transferred to a new university and moved from Halifax to Montreal. Coincidence?
I want to preface by saying that I tried so hard to find a website for the hot dog stand or a social media page, but I couldn’t find anything except a Yelp page for them. If anyone knows this man’s website or Instagram, please DM the Her Campus Concordia account so we can get in touch with them.
The McGill Hot Dog Stand is a staple on the McGill campus during the spring, summer and fall months. And apparently, it has been around since 1996, though it was shut down in 2003, then reopened in 2018, and has been racking up hot dog sales ever since.
Now I am not a McGill student, funny enough, but I do live near McGill and walk through the campus quite a bit. And whenever Montreal has a warm day, you can be sure to spot the stand just past the Roddick Gates, with a line of people eager to get a dog.
Earlier in March, we had a particularly warm day, and I almost cried when I walked through the gates and saw that bright red umbrella. Everyone in the lineup was giddy with excitement about his return, especially after the brutal weather we had been having. And although the cold, snowy weather has come back since then, seeing that hot dog stand was the silver lining of hope that I think we all needed to give us that push through the final chilly days of spring.
This might mean more to me since I am a hot dog lover at the core, but I truly think they make the best hot dogs I’ve ever had. My typical order is a regular jumbo dog (they also offer sausages and veggie dogs), and I add relish, mustard, ketchup, sometimes a bit of mayo, green olives, sauerkraut, and, most importantly, crispy fried onions. All of the toppings are on a table next to the barbecue, so you can add as much or as little as you’d like.
The hot dog stand has become an important part of the McGill (and wider) community, and is something so many people look forward to (I definitely do). If you haven’t tried one for yourself yet, make a plan to visit when the weather warms up. Even if you don’t live in Montreal, it’s worth the trip! Who knows, you may end up moving here for it!