Yesterday, I took my girlfriend to a Top Dog for the first time (she tried to give her drink order at the same time as her grill order. Tsk. Newbie.) She was perusing all the literature posted on the walls, and asked me who owns TD and their political leanings, etc.

I realized that although I've been a happy customer for 40 years, I had no idea.

So: where did Top Dog come from? Have they been owned by the same people since I was a freshman ('71)? Their radical libertarian stuff on the walls hasn't changed since then -- have they?

Some info which was written in 2010 so don't know if the Dick Reimann still owns it.....also has some info on Bongo Burger, La Burrita and other mom and pop Berkeley chains...

Quote:

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Rewind to fall 1966: the original Top Dog on Durant Avenue began in true mom-and-pop fashion. Dick Riemann, 76, still the owner today, opened Top Dog with a business partner on Saturday morning when "the paint on the floor was still a might tacky."

Within 10 minutes, there was standing room only. However, it wasn't the appeal of the business but the fact that a hot dog seemed like the most logical food to eat en route to the UC Berkeley football game.

"The place was absolutely mobbed," Riemann said. "It was a very fearful moment but we learned from it and many people got to know us."

Three years later, Riemann and his wife opened a second Top Dog on the other side of the university on Hearst Avenue. About eight years ago, a third store appeared near downtown Berkeley on Center Street. "It was a matter of having a presence on the other sides of campus," he said. "The east side had nothing by the way of foot traffic so there was no business opportunity there but the other three sides seemed naturally fitting for the university trade."

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http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/08/11/from-mom-and-pop-to-mini-chain/

Reimann still owns the place. As an undergraduate, I spent many long hours debating Dick over politics and philosophy over a TD. He was--and still is--a radical libertarian--far beyond Ron or Rand Paul; someone who thinks Ayn Rand's philosophy doesn't go far enough. As far as he was concerned, there should be no taxes whatsoever, nor should there be any public services (roads and streets, for example, should be owned by private companies that would maintain them and be free to charge to use them). He was also (at least at that time) opposed to all prisons. Any activity that didn't involve damage to another person should be legal; any that did should be subject to a death penalty. Fun times.

UrsaMajor;841959100 said:

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He was also (at least at that time) opposed to all prisons. Any activity that didn't involve damage to another person should be legal; any that did should be subject to a death penalty.

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"And was that a bockworst or a calabrese?"

JSC 76;841959081 said:

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Yesterday, I took my girlfriend to a Top Dog for the first time (she tried to give her drink order at the same time as her grill order. Tsk. Newbie.) She was perusing all the literature posted on the walls, and asked me who owns TD and their political leanings, etc.

I realized that although I've been a happy customer for 40 years, I had no idea.

So: where did Top Dog come from? Have they been owned by the same people since I was a freshman ('71)? Their radical libertarian stuff on the walls hasn't changed since then -- have they?

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On game day it's sometimes interesting to watch visitors. They often start reading his stuff expecting to be "commie". Most are oblivious to the difference, the somewhat smarter ones often confused, and only the smartest understand what it is.

Good story in the second post. Top Dog was a great idea.

BearyWhite;841959118 said:

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"And was that a bockworst or a calabrese?"

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I always thought Calvin's tattoo was a TD order for a calabrese

RonO;841959125 said:

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On game day it's sometimes interesting to watch visitors. They often start reading his stuff expecting to be "commie". Most are oblivious to the difference, the somewhat smarter ones often confused, and only the smartest understand what it is.

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It is interesting that so few people know what Libertarian is...

UrsaMajor;841959100 said:

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Reimann still owns the place. As an undergraduate, I spent many long hours debating Dick over politics and philosophy over a TD. He was--and still is--a radical libertarian--far beyond Ron or Rand Paul; someone who thinks Ayn Rand's philosophy doesn't go far enough. As far as he was concerned, there should be no taxes whatsoever, nor should there be any public services (roads and streets, for example, should be owned by private companies that would maintain them and be free to charge to use them). He was also (at least at that time) opposed to all prisons. Any activity that didn't involve damage to another person should be legal; any that did should be subject to a death penalty. Fun times.

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...and I believe he holds a PhD in Astral Projection from The University Without Walls.

When I was rding my bike around Lake Merrit in Oakland. His car broke down, and he didn't have any money for a pay phone. I gave him a couples of dimes, and he offered me a job at Top Dog. I was 15 at the time, but he said I could work there anyway. Passed on job. Wonder where I would be in life if I had taken him up on it. I'm sure I'd be on a different path Not saying which path is good or bad. Just different.

Radical Libertarian...hahaha.

Why not just be honest, he hates taxes and doesn't want to pay for anything except related specifically to him.

Nobody built Top Dog. Everything comes from government.

Nasal Mucus Goldenbear;841959402 said:

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Nobody built Top Dog. Everything comes from government.

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I wonder if BO has ever had a TD.

slobear;841959410 said:

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I wonder if BO has ever had a TD.

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BO = Bill O'Reilly?

Who else would it be?

Top Dog was founded by Damian and Barbara Topovich, who brought their famous hot dog recipe from Russia.

Nasal Mucus Goldenbear;841959402 said:

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Nobody built Top Dog. Everything comes from government.

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Wait didn't UC own the land underneath Top Dog...

And the customers are mostly UC students or going to watch a Cal game so they are there because of... Oh nevermind

tommie317;841959601 said:

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Wait didn't UC own the land underneath Top Dog...

And the customers are mostly UC students or going to watch a Cal game so they are there because of... Oh nevermind

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Let me show you how it's done:

The roads people walk on to get to Top Dog and over which supplies and raw materials are transported to Top Dog are built and maintained by... the government.

There had to be some R&D for those hot dogs to reach their legendary level of delicious deliciosity, and somewhere along the line if you go back far & wide enough all R&D was funded by government revenues.

Hence, everything comes from government.

There was an article about Dick in the Alumni Magazine about a year back. If I remember correctly, he objected to being called a libertarian. Instead, he preferred the term anarchist. It has been a while since I read the article, but I remember him citing health code inspectors as a prime example of government overreach.

I hate anarchy and its ugly step-daughter libertarianism. But pretty much any political philosophy tastes better when it is covered in mustard before it is shoved down your throat.

If Ayn Rand, Satan, Glenn Beck, and Hitler all got together and had an evil grandchild, I would still buy a hot dog from him so long as it tasted as good as Top Dog.

...it was a brilliant idea and one that we all enjoy and I say more power to the guy, to use a 60's phrase.

Has anyone had one at the game yet? I was on the 30/West side and wasn't sure where they are located and didn't want to miss anything so I didn't go looking for them.

:cheer

I had one at the Southern Utah game -- they grill them at the stadium, but keep them in a stack, not grilled as you order. Their menu is a subset of the original -- Tops, Brats, Hot Links; no Kiels.

It was good.

BearsLair72;841959710 said:

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...it was a brilliant idea and one that we all enjoy and I say more power to the guy, to use a 60's phrase.

Has anyone had one at the game yet? I was on the 30/West side and wasn't sure where they are located and didn't want to miss anything so I didn't go looking for them.

:cheer

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I had a Louisiana hot before the Nevada game. My impression was it was better than most stadium food (certainly better than stadium food at the old CMS), but not as good as you get at normal Top Dog locations. My biggest complaint was I had to put regular yellow mustard on the dog....no spicy mustard and no sauerkraut. That's a big drawback, IMO.

okaydo;841959579 said:

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Top Dog was founded by Damian and Barbara Topovich, who brought their famous hot dog recipe from Russia.

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I was hoping the story would be something like that. Or the following:

"Legendary frontiersman Jebediah Toppington was said to have killed a wild boar on this very spot in 1814. As his party feasted on the meat of the freshly killed animal, chased with generous amounts of whiskey, they decreed that the occasion would forever be marked by a commercial establishment named Top Dog."

The Duke!;841959655 said:

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There was an article about Dick in the Alumni Magazine about a year back. If I remember correctly, he objected to being called a libertarian. Instead, he preferred the term anarchist. It has been a while since I read the article, but I remember him citing health code inspectors as a prime example of government overreach.

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UrsaMajor;841959100 said:

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He was also (at least at that time) opposed to all prisons. Any activity that didn't involve damage to another person should be legal; any that did should be subject to a death penalty. Fun times.

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So if a customer were to get food poisoning from a top dog, they should just go shoot the owner? yah, OK.

^^^ Yeah, had a TD (brat) at the SU game. Not the same and $2 bucks more. Just get a hot one at Durant or Center St. Walking one up to the stadium is better.