CJs Hotdogs: Patriotism and American Food

My mom and I noticed a relatively new hotdog joint at a shopping center in McDonough, Georgia, which is about 30 minutes south of Atlanta. While the building didn't stand out too much, the droves of people coming in and out caught our eye. A lot of those people were firemen. While I have no clue why, firemen just know where the good food is at!

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After a little digging, I found out it was a place we used to eat at, just at another location. I remembered the hotdogs being downright incredible, and was curious why they disappeared. Now here they were again, but why did they leave the old location?

I came to find out that the owner, also a former firefighter, flew military flags of every branch above his old location to honor his Vietnam Veteran father and all of those who fight for our freedom. This allegedly wasn't accepted by some, causing CJ's to close their doors temporarily.

Well those flags are flying high at the new location, and the menu is attracting its same loyal customers. Here are the details.

Hotdogs
Being southern, slaw chili dogs are my favorite. The chili has no beans and is seasoned perfectly. The slaw is southern food at its finest; it's difficult to find slaw that meets true south standards, and this one's on point.

The hotdogs are thick, juicy 100% black angus beef, and man, does it make a difference. Other toppings like sport peppers, creole mustard and classic Chicago dog ingredients are available too. But I'd highly suggest the chili.

Sides
Go with a friend and split the onion rings and fries; you need to try both. The fries are simply fresh sliced potatoes with a hint of seasoning and the onion rings are covered in a light, crispy beer batter. I've tried a lot of beer battered things and usually don't taste any beer. But these O-rings have a pleasant, yet faint flavor of beer, and it's magical.

Dessert
When you walk in, it smells like heavenly funnel cake, and that's exactly what it is. Funnel cake sticks lightly dusted with powdered sugar are featured for dessert. Ice cream sandwich sundaes, basically layered ice cream sandwiches and extra ice cream, are another solid dessert offering. Fried pies are the latest addition and I can't wait to try them!

Hotdogs may not be the first thing that comes to mind when traveling through an area or going out for dinner, but trust me. CJ's takes every element of the simplistic seeming hotdog, and perfects it.

In addition to the flags, the inside walls are covered in photos, patches and other police, fire and military memorabilia. That just makes me want to support them even more. Visit there site to learn more.

Karyn Wofford
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Karyn Wofford is a writer with an expertise in lifestyle, wellness and travel. She's a contributor to Livestrong, the Mother Earth Living Blog, A Luxury Travel Blog and Diabetes Forecast. Karyn is also a US Global advocate for T1International. Follow her on Twitter @karynwofford
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