Chicago’s most famous hot dog stand has a punctuation issue. We are talking, of course, about the Wiener[’]s Circle in Lincoln Park. The lettering on the building says “Wiener’s,” but the signature marquee has “Wieners” —  sans apostrophe — as does the logo beside the cash register and on the employees’ T-shirts.

The contradiction shouldn’t come as a surprise. The glib hot dog stand has a history of being casual with apostrophes. When Jason Kelce was in town as an analyst for a Bears game in 2023, the restaurant’s sign read: “Welcome Taylors Boyfriends Brother.”

So what is the name’s correct punctuation? We called owner Ari Levy to find out. “When we bought the business [in 2015], the signs were written differently from each other. It’s been a running joke,” he says. “I think of it as ‘Wiener’s,’ but also like the singular ‘Wiener.’ It could also be ‘Wieners’ Circle,’ for all the wieners.”

Now thoroughly confused, we pressed Levy for a preference. He went with “Wiener’s,” in keeping with the “winner’s circle” pun.

But surely there must be a definitive answer. We checked the City of Chicago’s business license database, where the restaurant is listed as — drumroll, please — the Wiener’s Circle.

Send your questions about the Chicago area to emcclelland@chicagomag.com.