---
title: "He Grew Up Eating at Hot Dog on a Stick. Decades Later, He Bought the Struggling Chain for $8 Million: ‘It’s a Diamond in the Rough’"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/3a700afe-2faa-464b-b86c-670cd928cce8
source: "Entrepreneur Franchise"
original_url: https://www.entrepreneur.com/buying-a-franchise/he-grew-up-eating-at-hot-dog-on-a-stick-decades-later-he-bought-it-for-8-million
author: "Jonathan Small"
category: "Snacks & dessert"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Snacks & dessert"
published: 2026-07-13T16:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T20:02:55.590Z
image: https://www.entrepreneur.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/hotdog-on-a-stick-0726-g-1321549632.jpg
---

# He Grew Up Eating at Hot Dog on a Stick. Decades Later, He Bought the Struggling Chain for $8 Million: ‘It’s a Diamond in the Rough’

**TL;DR:** Stephen Siegel, founder and CEO of Amazing Brands, has acquired Hot Dog on a Stick for $8 million. The 80-year-old chain, which has shrunk to 44 locations, will be expanded beyond malls with standalone restaurants and other locations.

*By Jonathan Small, originally published in Entrepreneur Franchise on 2026-07-13. [Read the original](https://www.entrepreneur.com/buying-a-franchise/he-grew-up-eating-at-hot-dog-on-a-stick-decades-later-he-bought-it-for-8-million).*

## Story

After shrinking from more than 100 locations to 44, the 80-year-old franchise has a new owner with plans to move beyond the mall.

Stephen Siegel has been hooked on Hot Dog on a Stick since he was a kid in Los Angeles. Now he owns the joint. The founder and CEO of Amazing Brands acquired the 80-year-old chain out of the Fat Brands bankruptcy earlier this year for $8 million, betting that the struggling mall staple still has plenty of life left.

“It’s a diamond in the rough,” he told Restaurant Business. “I grew up on the brand.”

Founded in 1946 near the Santa Monica Pier, Hot Dog on a Stick became famous for its corn dogs, “hand-stomped” lemonade, and employees wearing rainbow-striped uniforms. During the hot dog heyday, the chain had more than 100 locations. Today, it has 44.

Siegel believes previous owners failed to see what made the brand stick out. His plan is to take Hot Dog on a Stick beyond the mall with standalone restaurants, drive-thrus, airports, stadiums and tourist destinations, following a path used by former mall staples like Panda Express and Chick-fil-A.

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- Entrepreneur (publication)
- Chick-fil-A (company)
- Fat Brands (company)
- qsr growth (topic)
- brand revitalization (topic)
- Hot Dog on a Stick (company)
- Panda Express (company)
- Jonathan Small (person)
- Amazing Brands (company)
- Stephen Siegel (person)
- Amazing Brands acquisition of Hot Dog on a Stick (deal)

---
Originally reported by Jonathan Small, Entrepreneur Franchise (https://www.entrepreneur.com/buying-a-franchise/he-grew-up-eating-at-hot-dog-on-a-stick-decades-later-he-bought-it-for-8-million). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/3a700afe-2faa-464b-b86c-670cd928cce8).