The IKEA hot dog has established a bit of a following over the decades, with many shoppers
claiming they can't leave the store without getting one.
But how well do you know the story of the IKEA hot dog?
It's time to find out.
The IKEA Bistro's prices are cheap enough that you're never going to pay more than $2.50
for the meal deal or a buck for a single hot dog, and the new veggie dog is even cheaper.
With those prices, you may wonder how IKEA makes any money at all with their hot dogs.
The answer lies in the fact that 30 percent of IKEA customers are just going there to
eat.
IKEA Food pulled in $2.3 billion in 2017, and that's nothing compared to the company's
furniture sales.
It all goes back to the original idea of feeding people while they're shopping.
People will stay longer if there's food, and chances are they will buy more.
Plus, the hot dogs are so cheap, it's easy to consider buying a second one after you've
finished the first.
"The hot dog has been somewhat lonely in our bistro since the '80s."
IKEA introduced its first vegan hot dog on a trial basis at its flagship store in Malmö,
Sweden in February 2018.
The dog quickly became a favorite, earning an astounding 95 percent approval rating.
Seeing an opportunity, IKEA went ahead and went into full production on the vegan dog.
At first you could only get it in Sweden, but it soon expanded to the rest of Europe,
then America and other international locations.
Softer in texture, but still delicious, the IKEA vegan hot dog is a mix of kale, red lentils,
carrots, and ginger.
Toppings include pickled red cabbage, crispy fried onions, and brown mustard.
With over 1 million sold in just two months in Europe, the vegan dog is definitely here
to stay.
When you think of hot dogs, you don't tend to think of them as being a particularly healthy
treat.
However, IKEA doesn't think that way.
The hot dog comes in at just 280 calories, and that's including the bun!
In terms of its nutrition, the hot dog has 16 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat,
40mg of cholesterol, 750 mg of sodium, 23 grams of carbs, and 11 grams of protein.
If you're looking to grab the combo meal deal, you'll get two hot dogs, chips or fries, and
a fountain drink.
Obviously, all those low numbers are about to double, with up to 890 calories depending
on the drink you get.
We'll just say the hot dog is healthy in moderation at IKEA.
The IKEA hot dogs are typically advertised as being 100 percent beef or all beef.
This isn't true.
The hot dogs are made of both beef and chicken in The United States.
Chicken is even listed before beef, which makes you think the hot dogs are primarily
poultry–based.
That said, ingredients vary from country to country, so there may be more beef in your
hot dog if you're in Australia or Japan, but for the US and Canada, there is a bunch of
chicken in there.
If you head to an IKEA in search of one of their famous hot dogs, you might get confused,
because they're not there.
To get a hot dog in IKEA, you usually have to pass the cash registers after the warehouse.
Some IKEA locations have different set-ups, The Bistro will likely be at the end of your
IKEA adventure.
The Bistro is placed there because IKEA knows that you're probably exhausted at the end
of your shopping trip, and you're also probably hungry.
With that in mind, it's hard to turn down an IKEA hot dog when they're right there waiting
for you before you load up your boxes.
You need just the right bread for a great hot dog bun, and IKEA has that covered with
their super soft, enriched buns.
Split down the middle, these buns cradle the hot dog perfectly, creating a wonderful nest
for the dog as well as the condiments.
Your mustard and ketchup won't be spilling out with these buns.
The bun is such an iconic part of IKEA's hot dog that even homemade recipes and copies
online all suggest you need a fluffy, soft bun.
It's just that important to the overall dish.
IKEA's hot dogs aren't just popular in The US.
They're a favorite snack of shoppers worldwide.
That doesn't mean the hot dog is the same everywhere you go, though.
Hot dogs around the globe are specifically tailored to each country that they're sold
in.
After all, people in different countries have different tastes.
Not everyone is just a straight ketchup and mustard kind of person.
If you're in Germany, expect to be able to throw some pickles on your hot dog as well
as fried onions.
At IKEA's home base in Sweden they have something that's basically a hot dog wrapped in bread.
Get double the dog in Turkey, or get it drenched in melted cheese in Greece.
Perhaps the most surprising version of the IKEA hot dog comes from Japan.
The food wizards there came out with a ninja dog, a charcoal-infused, foot-long hot dog
that's jet black inside a jet black bun.
In addition to the charcoal buns and dogs in Japan, in the springtime they get the cherry
blossom treatment.
Occasionally, IKEA will featured limited edition hot dogs, like the JUMBO dog from Singapore,
covered in nacho cheese and fried onions.
In an effort to take the lead in fighting against food waste, IKEA is working to make
little changes in its kitchens and food-prep areas to create larger changes over time.
That commitment has led IKEA to create the "Food Is Precious" initiative.
The plan is that by 2020, IKEA will have halved all of its food waste, including pre and post-consumer
food waste.
"Did you know that if you take all the world's food waste, it's about 1.3 billion tons?"
As of January 2019, 247 of the company's 423 stores were taking part and had reduced 1,786,605
kilograms of food waste.
That equals roughly 4,003,896 meals.
So next time you're ordering a bunch of hot dogs, keep that in mind.
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