Hank's Franks — Restaurant in Lodi

Hank's Franks is a North Jersey hot dog icon. It is a tiny stand located on US 46 East in Lodi, just about a mile from Teterboro Airport. It has stood in the same spot with only a few cosmetic changes over the years. While the appearance may have changed a bit, the quality of the menu has remained steady at the top notch throughout the years. To start with, it's the top of the line brand for the franks, and that's Sabrett's. They use toppings that are superlative to say the least. Their chili topping has a nice kick to it and actually tastes like a chili should. They also found two ways to my heart with their menu. #1, for mustard, they use real brown (and not "Yer Yella") mustard. And #2, they have my favorite cola, RC. The people that run this place are some of the most engaging and affable people I've ever met in a business, and their love of their work truly shows. I have only one complaint, and it has nothing to do with anything here, but whoever comes out with these lists of top hot dog places in New Jersey clearly have zero clue as to what a top hot dog place is, when they rate Hank's Franks below Rutt's Hut. Hank's Franks is...

Is this place ever open? Every time I drive to go here it’s closed! It’s one of those places that when you get there it’s just randomly closed at random times.

I just looked up the hours and it says 10:30-5:00.

So basically if you work a 9-5 (which is everyone) you can never go unless you work and can go on your lunch. Even these hours are wrong cause I’ve tried in the afternoon on weekends and it’s randomly closed.

Even hot dog trucks stay open till 7:00. Maybe consider staying open 1-2 nights a week so people can go to dinner. Or maybe this is a retirement job for the owner and they are financially stable enough to just do lunch.

The one time I was able to get a hot dog it was basic water dog. The toppings were basic, nothing to run back to, but I keep trying to go on the weekends to see if they have upgraded and...

Finally tried Hank’s Franks after driving past it so many times. We stopped in on a Friday at around noon and there were a few people coming and going. I read that the most popular topping is the potato so we got one of those , one with potatoes and hot Italian onions, and a hot chili Texas wiener. It was interesting. I probably wouldn’t order the potato again but I enjoyed the chili one and the hot Italian onions. Next time, I’ll need to get the hot chili with the hot Italian onions. It would taste even better and then I can go breathe on my worst enemy.

I actually like that there’s not too many options on the menu. Helps you decide what you want more quickly. It’s like a classic hot dog stand. I also saw after the fact that they have egg creams, so I’ll definitely be coming back for one of...