He Missed Hot Wieners So Much, This Former Rhode Islander Now Has Them Shipped to Florida
GoLocalProv News Team and News Editor Kate Nagle
He Missed Hot Wieners So Much, This Former Rhode Islander Now Has Them Shipped to Florida
The former Rhode Islander — who grew up in Pawtucket, and currently lives in Clearwater, Florida — says he now orders them on a regular basis to be shipped to the Sunshine State.
And how it started, according to MacKay, all came down to his girlfriend.
“She actually got them for me first,” said MacKay, of an anniversary “surprise” a few years back.
“I kept complaining to her about how much I missed them,” laughed MacKay, in an interview with GoLocal. “Apparently, she called Little Rhody (Wieners and Frankfurts in Johnston) for them."
And now, the rest isn’t history - it’s current events, as the couple continues to have the “dogs” shipped down to them; MacKay says he gets his spices from Dave’s.
But MacKay didn't stop there.
He even bought a meat grinder, in order to make his own sauce.
For MacKay, who graduated from Tolman and served in the Air Force and National Guard before working at Twin River, the move down to Florida was a natural one, to be closer to his sister and nieces.
But he couldn’t leave his hankering for hot wieners behind.
MacKay said that visits to Kips were a regular occurrence growing up, and after moving to North Providence, he was at Sam’s “at least once a week.”
It was a trip back home to Rhode Island with his girlfriend when he introduced her to all of his favorite haunts when she, too, “fell in love" with hot wieners.
So for their three-year anniversary, she ordered five pounds of them from Little Rhody - and paid $50 for shipping.
“I was like next time, let’s get 15 pounds…and then the lady called and said the shipping for that order would be $350,” laughed MacKay. “I guess if you go over ten pounds they have to overnight it. She was great though, we were able to get it back to our regular five pounds.”
But for MacKay - he said he would have paid the money.
“I was willing to take the bullet,” laughed Mackay.
Now, the couple’s on a regular schedule.
“We're trying to limit ordering to once every two weeks, and we take them out of the freezer and make like four or five each,” said MacKay.
And it appears that where they live in Florida among friends, they miraculously have them all to themselves.
“We brought them to a Super Bowl party…and no one really wanted them!” he laughed.