Being a Hotdogger is not all work; there’s downtime, too.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays are typically off-days for Hotdoggers, chances for them to do something other than stand around the Wienermobile handing out whistles and stickers. Ricci had a foldable bike with him and he liked to ride around cities, go out to eat, or visit museums on his off days. When he was in Florida, he caught an Orlando Magic game. But he wasn’t always keen to go out. There were days when he merely stayed in the hotel and watched TV because sometimes you just need some alone time.
The Wienermobile is not as big as it seems.
Anyone who’s ever seen a Wienermobile knows that it’s huge — or at least it appears to be. At 27-feet long and 11-feet high, it’s definitely larger than most cars on the road, but it’s smaller on the inside than you’d think. Ricci said that most people assume the vehicle had a kitchen and a bathroom, but that’s not the case. It actually only has six seats, a TV set, and a small closet in the back where they keep their suitcases, cleaning supplies, and Wienermobile merch.
Hotdoggers don’t sleep inside the Wienermobile.
Getting asked if he and Elise slept inside the Wienermobile was the number one question Ricci said he always heard. They didn’t. The Wienermobile is too small and has neither a bed, kitchen, nor bathroom. Instead, Hotdoggers stay in hotels, and Ricci and Elise had a special penchant for choosing bed and breakfasts. Not only did they like the quirkiness of the owners — “Usually whomever owns them is an interesting person who has a lot of their own stories” — but they found them to be more comfy and homey than hotels.
Everyone loves you when you are a Hotdogger.
“No one was ever mad to see us,” Ricci said. “Everyone was just kind of happy.” People apparently treat Wienermobile drivers like celebrities. When they arrived in Poplar Bluffs, Missouri — a small city 40 miles north of Arkansas with a population of 17,000 — almost every single person came to see the Wienermobile. “That was so cool to see how appreciative and generous everyone was,” Ricci said.
He and his partner also received free pie from a diner (also in Missouri) and invitations to people’s houses for home-cooked meals. During the summer, while they were posting up with the Wienermobile at an outdoor shopping mall in South Carolina, someone bought them milkshakes from Wendy’s because it was so hot outside.
Perhaps the coolest perk they experienced was when they got offered a private plane ride over the Smoky Mountains by a pilot that they met. “You never know what to expect,” Ricci said. “There’s the possibility everyday for some random, cool thing to happen to you.”
To keep the pay-it-forward cycle going, Ricci and his partner frequently gave rides to people in the Wienermobile on their days off.
Driving the Wienermobile pays well when you think about it.
Hotdoggers receive a salary, health insurance, and a weekly stipend to pay for gas and lodging. Ricci pointed out that Hotdoggers also get to save money overall because they don’t have to pay rent for the whole year. He wouldn’t reveal how much he made other than saying “it’s competitive for an entry level marketing job.” Not that he cared about the money that much anyways. “Honestly, the job was so much fun and so rewarding each day in and out that I didn’t need to get paid. I got paid in smiles.”
Hotdoggers are generally good drivers.
As far as Ricci knew, there have been no serious accidents involving a Wienermobile. “Nothing major,” he said. He’s also pretty sure that no Wienermobiles have been stolen or broken into. But some Hotdoggers — not him — have gotten speeding tickets and scratched their buns in minor accidents.
There’s a strong Hotdogger alumni base.
On Facebook, there are two private alumni groups for Hotdoggers each with over a few hundred members. According to Ricci, current Hotdoggers post their whereabouts on them to see if any alumni are in the area and want to catch up. When they were in Orange Beach, Alabama, Ricci and Elise went to the beach, hung out, and got dinner with a former Hotdogger.
“The craziest thing about that is you meet up with someone who you have never met before, and it’s like meeting an old friend for breakfast or lunch,” he said. “They’re really the only other people that know what you’re going through right now.”
Hooking up amongst Hotdoggers is apparently not common.
Ricci was pretty sure that no one in his Hotdogger class had hooked up. He and Elise definitely didn’t. He considered her more of a “best friend” and that’s where their relationship stopped. But he said he wouldn’t be surprised if Hotdoggers from past years had gotten it on with each other. “I’m sure it’s happened,” he said, “though everyone keeps it pretty professional.”
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings