Wieners Circle owner Matt Brewer runs for Chicago mayor, putting the hot dog stand's marquee politics in the spotlight

Matt Brewer, co-owner of The Wieners Circle at 2622 N. Clark St., is running for Chicago mayor. His candidacy has brought renewed attention to the restaurant's history of marquee messages, including one that asked whether voters are tired of Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Brewer, 42, confirmed his candidacy at the hot dog stand in Lincoln Park. He bought the business in 2015 with co-owner Ari Levy from founders Barry Nemerow and Larry Gold, who opened The Wieners Circle in 1983.

The restaurant is known for its late-night crowd and sharp-tongued staff. Levy and Brewer began changing the messages after taking over, using the sign for sports jokes, political jabs and neighborhood commentary.

The marquee has called for the release of migrant children, suggested that President Donald Trump has a small penis, and promised free hot dogs after Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw four touchdowns. The stand also once invited the Bears' head coach to take his shirt off in exchange for free food for the city.

Earlier this month, the marquee turned directly to the mayor's race. "Are you tired of Brandon Johnson yet?" it read.

Social media users criticized the restaurant for taking a side in the election. Some called for a boycott, while others defended Johnson. The argument played out beneath posts from the same business that once joked it "proudly supports dog on dog and bun on bun" relations.

Brewer said the sign reflects the restaurant's sense of humor and the way customers connect around it. "People come together around this shared experience, rooted in humor," Brewer said Thursday, sitting at one of the red picnic tables outside the stand. "The sign is an extension of that, and an extension of our humor."

Brewer's candidacy links that sign history directly to the mayor's race. The restaurant's messages now appear alongside his campaign as one of its owners seeks the city's top office.

Brewer grew up in Grand Crossing and attended Mount Carmel High School. He later went to Stanford University, where he became the first Black student body president in the school's history.

Brewer's campaign is now competing in Chicago's mayoral election, and The Wieners Circle's marquee remains a public place where the campaign and the restaurant's messages can intersect.