“We’ve got three generations of people coming to Pink’s,” said Gloria Pink, whose father- and mother-in-law started the business with $50 of borrowed money and a small cart. “We’ve got customers talking to each other in line ... And we’ve got celebrity sightings,” she added. “We thought this would be a great backdrop for interesting stories.”

"It is a beautiful thing to see a Cupid's dog assembled, to observe the counterman aligning buns four, five, six at a time in a special ridged tray, to witness the quick flick of his wrists as he lays in the hot dogs, smears each with yellow mustard, sprinkles them with chopped onions, then sluices them with a precise amount of chili, enough to flavor every bite - to soak into the top few millimeters of the steamed bun without necessarily slopping onto your shoes or even on your hands - before twisting the dogs like anniversary presents into layers of soft, white tissue."