Johnny & Hanges — Restaurant in Fair Lawn

It was just about 30 years ago that I got my first job at the age of 14. That job was at the original J &H location in P town. My mother was their bookkeeper and she got me the job. I remember shadowboxing in the walk in freezer with my good friend Alvin who was about a year older and a bit bigger than my skinnier, younger self. I remember the first day, started out weighing the fries. There was an old guy named Marty on fries who seemed senile yet was somehow all there. Ricky, who taught me some Puerto Rican slang, and his brother (forget name)who was a bit of a bully. Tony, the manager, was a big influence in my life. Angie, the bosses Mom worked breakfast and that was one tough lady! Shebrit, another Manager who now that I think about it was probably skimming off the top. They had the classic car shows in the parking lot (I think every Tuesday). Man, That place was hopping! We had to memorize and keep track of all of our orders back then. Up to 20 or more at a time. No computers, or POS systems, not only taking one order at a time... It was raging. We had to call out the orders to the guys in the back and remember which customers got what, and when in the back you had to remember 20-30 diff orders at a time. I Can't forget to mention Corny, Any one who's been to J&H back then knows Corny. I hope he's still around! Any way, Here is a little History of J&H that you might not know. My first job! One away! Wait, i almost forgot Big AL! How could I do that? Big al was like a big teddy bear. He had a soft heart but would bash someones face in to protect you if needed. Everyone in the neighborhood knew him and loved...

Let me start by saying this is not just a hot dog place. When you walk in, there is the counter where you make your order. On either side of the restaurant there are about seven or eight tables for dining. Each side has a television high on the wall. They were showing the local news. Nothing crazy. The restrooms are located on the right hand side towards the back. The decor reminds me of a place you'd see in Coney Island. Not bad. The men behind the counter were pleasant enough. They accept cash and credit. I went there two separate times. I ordered a burger the first time. It wasn't bad. A quarter pound patty with all the trimmings. I also got an order of fries and a can of soda. The food was fair, especially for the price. The second time I got two hot dogs. They were bigger than I thought they'd be. I'm not sure how they cooked them but they had a crunchy skin. Maybe they were fried. They weren't bad either. They have a giant dog which looks like two regular dogs in one, was not highly priced. They do have more on their menu like sandwiches and such but I wasn't gonna be in that area long enough to try more things. Overall, I'd say that if you're in the area and you're looking for something a little different, I'd say stop in and try what...

It's not often you can say your favorite hot dog made the history books, but the Hot Texas (or Hot Jersey Wiener has been around since the early 1900's and Johnny & Hanges does it RIGHT! Haven't had one in a LONG time (they're only available in a certain part of northern NJ - and rumor has it upstate NY though I think they taste different) and when I walked in I had a very nice lady greet me and get me my dog

They offer many different varieties of topping but I came for one, "all the way." That means a soft bum with a literally deep fried hot dog, minced raw onion, brown mustard and a sauce some call a chili sauce but it tastes like an old Greek "spaghetti sauce with ground meat."

Whatever it is, if it was a woman I'd marry it! It's that good!

I've actually discussed this sauce (and Johnny's & Hanges with the literal Hamburger Scholar, George Motz (who knew exactly who and what I was taking about)! In fact, I've spread the word about this hot dog all over the US and I really, really want all foodies - ESPECIALLY hot dog lovers -...