Richard Hyatt: Hot dog history suffers fire

To the rest of us, it was just another hot dog joint with a secret recipe for chili and a private label weiner, but for 99 years and two weeks it has been part of a community's soul.

Nu-Way has been serving the humble hot dog from its Cotton Street location in the heart of downtown Macon since 1916 -- the same year Nathan's opened on New York's Coney Island.

History came to a blazing halt just shy of 3 a.m. Friday when local firefighters answered a three-alarm fire that destroyed the iconic eatery. Only the familiar marquee and façade were saved.

Before you question my spelling, you should note that the sign over the sidewalk has been misspelling weiner for 78 years. When Macon Telegraph columnist Ed Grisamore wrote a book on Nu-Way, the title was "There Is More Than One Way to Spell Weiner." Longtime customers could care less. They're more interested in the bun, honey.

Nu-Way is part of a national hot dog culture that starts with Reindeer Dogs in Alaska and includes the Guadalajara Dog in Los Angeles, the Coneys in Michigan, the Coyote Tails in Texas, heavy-laden Chicago Dogs at Wrigley Field and a naked dog walking from the Varsity in Atlanta.

Around here, folks require a frequent dose of one of Lieutenant's Scrambled Dogs at Dinglewood Pharmacy. Firm Roberts concocted this local delicacy at his restaurant on Cusetta Road, but for more than 60 years Sport Brown and Lieutenant Stevens have made their familiar chili on Wynnton Road.

We all have favorites. I still crave one of Robert Meadows' Georgia Dogs. Robert and his sidekick Whitey served them at the Palace Pool Hall on 12th Street. They came on wax paper with another piece that you could use to wipe the chili off your chin.

A sign over the bar summed up the 8-ball philosophy: "Cows may come. Cows may go. But the bull in here goes on forever."

What these places all over the country have in common is comfort, simplicity and nostalgia. The world changes but the hot dog doesn't. They're served with chili and a liberal helping of history. That's why owners Jim Cacavias and Spiro Dermata stood in the morning darkness outside Nu-Way and watched a 120-year-old building brought to its knees.

They were crying, and so was Macon.

-- Richard Hyatt is an independent correspondent. Reach him at hyatt31906@knology.net.

This story was originally published March 14, 2015 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Richard Hyatt: Hot dog history suffers fire."