You see them at festivals and fairs across the country. At sporting events. At concession stands for any occasion, really. They鈥檙e an American classic 鈥� corn dogs. And it may surprise you that the beloved fried food on a stick was invented at the Oregon Coast.
Along Highway 101 in Rockaway Beach, an offbeat roadside attraction can鈥檛 be missed. Drivers likely do a double-take at the sight of a giant corn dog on the roof. It鈥檚 a massive fiberglass corn dog. A Pronto Pup, to be exact.
鈥淭o my knowledge, the history of the Pronto Pup was created in Rockaway in the late 1930s, early 鈥�40s, a little closer to town,鈥� said Diane Langer, who bought the modern-day Original Pronto Pup with her husband in late 2021.
The birth of the Pronto Pup goes back to Labor Day 1939. It was on that day that George Boyington, who ran a hot dog stand in Rockaway Beach with his wife, had an idea as he sat with overstocked stale buns. What about a batter that could be cooked on demand?
Boyington determined a delicious, pronto solution. The new snack on a stick became a point of local pride.
The Original Pronto Pup first opened in 2016, as an homage to the culinary creation invented in town roughly eight decades earlier.
Taking Pronto Pups nationwide
Soon after Boyington nailed down the recipe, he started the mass production of the. Boyington trademarked the brand name and began to franchise the business.
Today, Pronto Pups . Gregg Karnis, owner of Minnesota鈥檚 Pronto Pup franchise, has had a lifetime鈥檚 worth of experience with Pronto Pups in that region of the country.
Karnis鈥� father was a Marine who ended his service in 1944 in Portland. After leaving his ship in the city, the older Karnis heard about Pronto Pups and went on to become one of the first franchise owners, opening up a shop in Chicago.
鈥淸The business] was an instant success. 鈥� At that point in time, the whole concept of a batter-coated hot dog and a stick was literally sweeping the nation and people were buying product club franchises from coast to coast,鈥� Karnis said of his father鈥檚 franchise.
The elder Karnis was then approached to bring Pronto Pups to the Minnesota State Fair in 1947. They鈥檝e been a fair staple operated by the Karnis family ever since 鈥� And it is a full-blown operation.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a main commissary, which is nearly 3,500 square feet, where we simply do production. We have a retail end in front, like a storefront if you will. But the whole back of the building is production. 鈥� The batter鈥檚 mixed. It gets delivered to the locations. We have a total of eight locations on state fairgrounds.鈥�
Over the course of the Minnesota State Fair, people buy a lot of Pronto Pups.
鈥淥n the average we go through about 36 tons of hot dogs in a 12-day state fair and usually, well over a hundred tons of batter we mix up. So, it鈥檚 hundreds of thousands of pups that are served each year,鈥� said Karnis.
If those numbers don鈥檛 prove Minnesota鈥檚 love of Pronto Pups, .
鈥淲e got called down to the Minnesota state Legislature in St. Paul, the capital,鈥� for a resolution recognizing Pronto Pups鈥� contribution to the Minnesota State Fair, Karnis said, remembering the occasion.
鈥淎nd it was like the most probably heartfelt touching warmest moment of my entire life. Because at that point in time, I realized that, boy, what my mom and dad brought up to Minnesota is far more than I ever, ever imagined it to be.鈥�
While Minnesota has embraced the Pronto Pup for generations, the trademarked batter still all comes from Portland. And in Rockaway Beach, where The Original Pronto Pup location was named to honor the pup鈥檚 local origins, there鈥檚 also a strong following.
A 鈥榗orny鈥� tradition
A corn dog may seem like more of a lunch or dinner food. At The Original Pronto Pup, people are eager to place an order as soon as the doors unlock at 10 a.m.
鈥淚t鈥檚 actually pretty amazing when you realize how big of a following Pronto Pups have, and when people come in and they say, 鈥榃e drove three hours to come and have a Pronto Pup.鈥� Or, 鈥榃e came from Idaho.鈥� Or, 鈥榃e came from Michigan,鈥欌�� said Langer. 鈥淎 lot of times they say, 鈥榃e waited for you to open today so we could come in.鈥� And, 鈥榃e changed our route or our destination so that we could stop in.鈥欌��
There鈥檚 also another type of fanfare that Pronto Pup enthusiasts can find in Rockaway Beach: the mechanical corn dog.
Like a mechanical bull or horse on a merry-go-round, the corn dog is outfitted with a saddle. Popping in a couple of quarters to a slot makes the ride start. Those young and young at heart take the corn dog for a spin.
The Original Pronto Pup boasts a whole corny experience dedicated to the brainchild of Boyington鈥檚 creation from all those years ago.
The process of making a pup is simple as it was back then.
鈥淪o, we mix the batter up each day by hand, everything needs to be on a stick in order for it to stay under the oil in the fryer. 鈥� We put sticks in everything. Then everything is dipped by hand. Everything is made to order,鈥� Langer explained, as she carefully demonstrated the process before opening on a Friday in mid-April.
Langer points to two reasons why Pronto Pups have been a longtime crowd favorite.
鈥淧eople love roadside attractions and people love fried foods, you know?鈥� she said with a laugh.
Karnis agreed, also with a chuckle.
鈥淚 know this much: that [customers are] willing to wait in line for one, and when they get it, a lot of times they鈥檒l, they鈥檒l get a handful of them, maybe 8, 9, 10鈥� And they鈥檒l bring 鈥榚m and everyone鈥檚 grabbing for their Pronto Pups, but they definitely have a complete look of total satisfaction because it鈥檚 state fair time again. And we can get a freshly made hand-dipped, original Pronto Pup like we鈥檝e done for generations.鈥�
Enjoyment of Pronto Pups is a tradition that spans both decades and geography, from the Oregon Coast to the Minnesota State Fair and back again.
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