Can the new Ted’s Hot Dogs compete with the decades-old Tempe classic?

Hot dogs are inherently nostalgic. They’re ingrained in the red, white and blue vision of a classic American summer. The simple frank-on-a-bun combination has been a staple at ballparks, state fairs, picnics and backyard cookouts for generations.

In Tempe, one spot known for its hot dogs has also been a staple for generations. Ted’s Hot Dogs, a chain from Buffalo, New York, opened a lone Arizona location on the southwest corner of Broadway Road and McClintock Drive in 1983. For the following 43 years, it has churned out charcoal-grilled hot dogs of multiple shapes and sizes on a large grill behind the counter.

Over the decades, the Tempe eatery has undergone a few facelifts, with modern TV screen menus hung above the counter and a fresh lick of red paint in the dining room. But for neighbors and students from nearby Arizona State University, Ted’s has been a consistent destination for old-school eats for years.

Then, on May 23, Ted’s opened a second Arizona location, bringing its nostalgic brand to Chandler.

That made us wonder, after all these years, could an expansion live up to the original? Could a new location of such an institution really work? Could it even, perhaps, be better? Would new or nostalgic win out?

We headed to the East Valley to find out.

43 years in Tempe

In Tempe, Ted’s Hot Dogs occupies a small, rectangular building on the corner of a sleepy strip mall. Outside, a couple of seats huddle under the shade of the roof’s overhang, and a few pressed-concrete picnic tables sit near the Ted’s sign, topped with retro, metal umbrellas painted with red and white stripes.

On a Friday afternoon in June, peak hot dog-eating season, the restaurant is almost empty. A couple of customers brave the heat and sit outside. The staff behind the counter look a little bored. 

After perusing the digital menus, we slide up to the counter, order an all-beef dog with ketchup and mustard, a footlong chili dog, fries, onion rings and Ted’s famous loganberry juice. The cashier hands us a paper soda cup and points to a small, almost empty plastic drink dispenser next to the napkins and straws. After pouring a cup of the dark red juice, we grab a seat on one of the wooden bench booths in the middle of the dining room.

A red neon sign glows. Black-and-white photographs from moments in Ted’s history line the walls. A newspaper stand displays today’s issue of The Buffalo News.

Ted’s was founded in 1927 by Theodore Spiro Liaros, who immigrated from Greece in 1913. With no money and unable to speak English, he started selling hot dogs out of a tool shed in Buffalo. 

Over the years, the small business expanded and now operates nine locations in Western New York. Liaros’ son Spiro traded snow for sunshine and moved to Phoenix, where he opened Arizona’s only Ted’s in Tempe in 1983. He eventually passed the restaurant to his daughter, Thecly, who passed it on to her son, the company’s current president and owner, Evan Ortolani.

The company started to formulate plans for a Chandler location in 2017. Delays ran into the pandemic, and the expansion stalled. In 2024, the plan was revived and Evan announced plans to bring Arizona’s second Ted’s to life. Just prior to the Chandler opening, he told Phoenix New Times that if it proves successful, he hopes to bring more locations to the Valley.

At the Tempe restaurant, our number is called, and we slide out of the booth to grab our tray. The fries are a little cold. The thin-sliced onion rings a tad greasy. But the hot dogs remind us why Ted’s is such a staple. 

Sourced from Sahlen’s, another Buffalo-based business, the all-beef frank snaps with each bite. Topped simply with mustard and ketchup, it makes us question, are hot dogs usually this good? No, they’re not. This is exceptional. The footlong chili dog is pure, messy fun, with a small-grained all-meat chili slathered on top.

The empty, square dining room with its drop ceiling tiles and fluorescent overhead lighting left us wanting more from this dated, vintage spot. But hot dogs are what Ted’s is famous for, and on hot dogs, it delivers.

A month in Chandler

With plenty of fans eagerly awaiting Ted’s Chandler debut, the new location opened on May 23. There was a weekend-long celebration with free ice cream, live music, merch giveaways and excitement. 

At this location, within the Crossroads Towne Center at Germann and Gilbert roads, design is clearly a focal point. The small restaurant oozes curb appeal, with its sunny yellow umbrellas calling out across the sprawling shopping center. A small park area is filled with picnic tables and freshly planted trees. A smiling hot dog statue sits on a bench, begging families to stop for a photo. The angular wood-clad building looks like something straight out of the 1950s. 

Inside, the retro theme continues, with bouncy turquoise booths, spherical glass lights and warm-toned wood. Instead of Tempe’s TV screen menus, this location has vintage diner-style menu boards with options snapped into place letter by letter. Varsity felt pennants and banners proclaim statements like “on a roll since 1927” and “jumbo red hot dogs.” 

Some staple elements complete the design, including black-and-white photographs of Ted’s history and a newspaper stand with today’s copy of The Buffalo News.

On another Friday afternoon in June, this location is packed. We stand in line to order and peruse the menu boards.

Ahead of the opening, Evan explained that the new location would debut a few new menu items, including steak and breakfast sandwiches. If they proved popular, they might find their way onto menus at other locations. 

A month after opening, however, and those menu items are still “coming soon.” 

For comparison’s sake, we order the same thing: an all-beef hot dog with ketchup and mustard, a footlong chili dog, fries and onion rings. There’s no loganberry juice on the menu, but we spy a loganberry milkshake and decide to give it a try. 

That is, until we reach the front of the line and the cashier informs us that they don’t, in fact, have any of Ted’s famous loganberry. We opt for an orange cream shake instead.

We grab a seat in one of the comfortable booths as bubbly music fills the colorful, sunny dining room. The songs are sharply interrupted each time a staff member comes over the very loud speaker, to announce that someone’s order is ready. In addition to the dining room, this location also has a drive-thru and a walk-up window just for ice cream. 

Once our order is ready, we dig in. The hot dogs at this Ted’s are almost identical to those in Tempe. Hot, savory, snappy and cravings-inducing. Here, perhaps due to the busy nature of the restaurant, the fries and onion rings are piping hot and fresh. That frying oil is brand new.

The orange cream shake tastes of childhood summer vacations. The nostalgic flavor matches the retro restaurant, although we wished they had the loganberry they’re known for. 

So, can the new stand up to the nostalgia of the old? We didn’t grow up going to Ted’s in Tempe, so we can’t speak to the personal connection tied to such an institution. And it’s rare for the sequel to ever be as good as the original.

But the Chandler Ted’s may be a case of “Toy Story 3.” The new location blows the old out of the water. The hot dogs are stellar at both. But in Chandler, yellow picnic umbrellas, turquoise booths, red felt flags and orange milkshakes infuse new color into a Valley classic. And after 43 years, we’re sure glad it’s here.

Ted’s Hot Dogs

1755 E. Broadway Road, Tempe
2700 E. Germann Road, Chandler