Hot dogs are not what they used to be. They’re no longer a baseball pastime or a boring birthday party staple. This year fancy caviar hot dogs, weenie and martini parties, and mini hot dog towers have slowly changed the cultural perception of the dog.
There’s a new hot dog brand based in Charlotte, rewriting hot dog rules. Gleezy, the cheeky-named year-old company, has transformed the humble frank into a gourmet, sophisticated staple, outselling legacy brands like Oscar Mayer and Nathan’s.
CHARLOTTE'S CHICEST HOT DOG STARTUP
Gleezy set out to turn a played-out American food into a craveable premium product. Just weeks after hitting Harris Teeter shelves in July, Gleezy became the grocery chain’s most successful meat product launch in 15 years. Gleezy is outpacing the big dogs in more than 250 stores in seven states.
I first met Gleezy at the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club, where franks were served from a custom-built Gleezy cart. I noticed patrons there donning Gleezy-branded vintage Charlotte Hornets hats. Later, I saw Gleezy again on an Instagram reel, where Chapel Hill football players ate decked-out dogs while riding a golf cart.
A hot dog brand with sleek merch and athlete collabs felt contradictory; I was hooked on the novelty of it. Gleezy taps into aesthetic allure, too, with mustard yellow and tomato red accents blending nostalgia with stylishness. Apparently, that’s the whole point.
“It keeps people guessing,” founder Bryce Rech says. “We’re doing it a little differently than what everybody’s expecting a hot dog company to do.”
From apparel collaborations to concert activations, Gleezy’s growth has been exponential. The brand hit grocery shelves years ahead of schedule and quickly outgrew its origin as “the official hot dog of golf.”
Rech believes Gleezy’s national clout arose from combining a quality frank with its distinct brand-building approach. Gleezy is shaping modern-day hot dog culture.
“Hot dogs are hot right now,” Rech says.
SOLVING THE MID-TIER HOT DOG PROBLEM
But, they weren’t always. Rech started Gleezy because he was “sick of eating average hot dogs at sports and entertainment facilities,” he says. A longtime entrepreneur and investor, he believed there was a market for premium brisket hot dogs, especially at golf courses.
His team developed a double-smoked beef brisket link, which launched in October 2024. One bite of the dog’s savory, smoky snap nods to Carolina barbecue and finishes with Gleezy’s own vinegar-based Carolina Dog Sauce.
WHY GLEEZY IS BREAKING RECORDS IN THE QUEEN CITY AND BEYOND
Unlike most consumer packaged goods, Gleezy didn’t start by emphasizing in-store sales. Instead, it built buzz through activations: partnerships with local golf courses, like Cedarwood and Carmel Country Club, then sports arenas and high-profile athletic events. In addition to the 2025 PGA, Gleezy dogs have been sold at the Ryder Cup, the Masters, Kenan Stadium at the University of North Carolina and even New York City’s NBA 2K launch party. It made a splash by crafting a dynamic, playful brand identity.
“We want to make sure we don't fall back into what hot dogs have been for the last 25 years,” Rech says. “We want to change the perception of hot dogs.”
Originally branded as golf’s hot dog, demand quickly pushed Gleezy into baseball, hockey, football, and soon ski and snow events. Rech envisions it as the official hot dog of “sport, leisure and fun.”
Gleezy plans to expand its line of sauces to introduce flavors beyond the Carolinas, but one thing remains: its Charlotte DNA.
“I’ve never seen a community adopt Gleezy as seamlessly as Charlotte,” Rech says.
From selling out at Harris Teeter to lining up at Mac’s Speed Shop and the Sporting Gent, locals have embraced Gleezy. The Harris Teeter rollout in Charlotte took 60 days—a process that typically takes other vendors anywhere from six months to a year.
“The love and the homage will always circle back to Charlotte,” Rech says.
Gleezy’s tie to golf, entrepreneurial spirit and obsession with sports stadiums—it all undeniably shares a distinctly Charlotte ethos. Plus, when establishing sports team partnerships, Rech promised to prioritize Charlotte-based teams over any others in the U.S.
“There’s always going to be your first retailers and your first NFL team placement,” he says.
THE RECIPE
With local retail secured, Gleezy’s now in reach for the home cook. Rech recommends a Gleezy on the grill with Carolina Dog Sauce and shredded cheddar. In true Gleezy style, he also recommends a way to polish the culinary experience by teaming up with Chef Sam Diminich of Restaurant Constance to create dinner-party-worthy hot dog recipes.
Yes—hot dogs at a dinner party. And with Gleezy, it’s all the rage.
(INSERT IMAGE OF RECIPES)
Greensboro Dawg
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Gleezy
- 6 ounces Gleezy sauce
- 2 potato buns
- 6 ounces raw peanuts, in shell
- 10 ounces Cheerwine
- 1 quart water
- 2 ounces salt
- 4 ounces barbecue brisket ends, diced and glazed with barbecue
- 2 ounces crushed NC BBQ Potato Chips
DIRECTIONS
- For peanuts, in a medium-sized sauce pot, add Cheerwine, water and salt, and let it simmer for 3 hours on very low heat. Cook until tender, then allow it cool in cooking liquid
- For hot dog: cook over an open flame grill to add color and develop flavor
- For brisket, simply warm it in a small pan
- For peanuts, remove from shells, reduce liquid to glaze, add peanuts to glaze, and set aside
- To assemble: warm hot dog buns in a 350°F oven until warm, add Gleezy sauce on the bottom of the bun. Next, add hot dogs, peanuts, brisket, BBQ chips and finish with more Gleezy sauce. Enjoy!
Colorado Dawg
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Gleezy dogs
- 2 brioche dogs
- 4 ounces potato salad
- Yukon golds
- ½ cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoons chopped shallots
- 1 cup sauerkraut—store bought
- 1 cup Gleezy sauce
DIRECTIONS
- Grill the hot dogs
- For potato salad: dice Yukon golds, boil until tender, drain, add mayo, mustard, vinegar, parsley and shallots. Season with salt and pepper and set aside
- For kraut, warm in a small pan
- To assemble, add hot dogs to buns, top with potato salad and then sauerkraut
- Serve up with Gleezy sauce on the side
Georgia Dawg
Atlanta – Georgia Peach Dawg – Serrano Chili – Peach Relish – or Pimento and
Cheese Dawg with G.A. Peach jam and pickled jalapeño (Crispy Black Eye Pea
garnish)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Gleezy dogs
- 2 brioche buns
- 1 cup pimento and cheese
- 4 ounces white cheddar
- 2 ounces mayo
- 2 tablespoons roasted red pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoons minced scallions
- 1 tablespoons chipotle Tabasco
- 6 ounces shredded iceberg lettuce
- 2 peaches
Peach relish
- ½ cup vinegar
- ¼ sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon chili flake
- 1 cup pickled jalapeño
DIRECTIONS
- For peach relish, add vinegar, sugar and spices to a small pot, bring to a boil. Reduce by half—add peaches, simmer 10 minutes or until tender—set aside
- For pimento and cheese: mix cheese, mayo, red pepper, Tabasco, scallions and a pinch of salt. Taste for flavor, set aside
- For hot dogs: grill over open flame. Add color and build flavor. Warm bun, add hot dog, Gleezy sauce, peach relish, pimento and cheese.
- Next, add lettuce, nice and neat. Then add shaved raw peaches and jalapeños. Finish with more Gleezy sauce. Enjoy!
Gleezy set out to turn a played-out American food into a stylish, craveable, premium product. Just weeks after hitting Harris Teeter shelves in July, Gleezy became the grocery chain’s most successful meat product launch in 15 years.