CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In Victor Werany’s nearly 16 years of business at the corner of 4th and Tryon streets in uptown Charlotte, he’s earned a handful of titles, including “Best Hot Dog” by Money Magazine, in partnership with Yelp.
“Retired” is his most recent.
“My body was telling me ... it’s time,” Werany told Channel 9 on Wednesday.
Loyal customers know him as “Vic the Chili Man.” But what people may not know is that he’s struggled with physical ailments for some time, which is why he’s packing up his beloved hot dog cart for good.
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Before he said goodbye, Vic the Chili Man walked down memory lane to relive some of the best moments.
“I’ve been in movies as the Chili Man, and Super Bowl commercials as the Chili Man,” Werany said. “I don’t know that I ever meant it to become what it has become.”
He quickly earned notoriety for his creative hot dog recipes, all topped with his now-famous chili.
The food cart vendor’s been on his regular winter break but announced on Facebook that he will not be coming back.
In 2007 (or so) I was interviewed for a chapter in a book about "ordinary jobs done extraordinarily". The author asked...
Posted by Vic the Chili Man on Monday, February 24, 2020
Dozens of people commented and shared the post, mourning the end of one of their favorite spots.
“The support was just absolutely outrageous, the kind words that people were saying,” Werany said.
The customers are what he’ll miss most, but he said this ending is really just a new beginning.
“I want, 10 years after I serve my last hot dog, that people are still talking about me,” Werany said.
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