Monroe — In Detroit, American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island have a long-running competition for the best chili dog. Here, it’s Vince’s vs. Monroe’s Original Hot Dog.
When you think of classic American dining, you think of the drive-in, that icon of the golden age. It’s still imprinted on the American mind.
Both Vince’s and Monroe’s Original drive-ins offer similar Monroe-style chili dogs, each differing in taste, but not presentation. The aroma of the chili wafts through your windows as you drive along the River Raisin past Vince’s. After crossing the river and turning onto Front Street, you’ll see the classic orange overhang of Monroe’s Original Hot Dog. And of course, you’ll smell that chili.
What is a Monroe-style hot dog? Is it just another version of the Detroit Coney?
Detroit Coneys have a Greek bent, with soupy chili that is meaty and bold. A Monroe-style dog has the same soup-like chili, but there is little meat flavor. It’s almost all tomato, onion, and mustard. It’s a sweet, warm ketchupy concoction.
Many down here near the Ohio border associate chili dogs with Tony Packo’s in Toledo, which uses large chunks of ground meat in its chili. But 25 minutes north, a chili dog is tomatoey sweet. And every Monroe resident has a favorite spot.
In an online poll conducted in July, Monroe County residents voted that Monroe’s Original was better, with 257 votes over Vince’s 170 votes.
And yet, one former resident of Monroe told me he was eager to get his driver’s license as a kid because every time his family drove by Vince’s, they never stopped. The chili bewitched him, and he’s been a loyal fan ever since he got his license. Monroe’s Original might have the votes, but Vince’s has a loyal underdog following.
Part of the reason Monroe’s Original has such a following is its long history. Vince’s has been around for 70 years, while Monroe’s Original has been around for 90.
Monroe’s Original started in the mid 1930s as an A&W franchise. It was called “Del’s Drive-in” back then, owned by Delmar Groves.
According to Joe Fanola, the current owner of Monroe’s Original, A&W was seeking to expand menu options in the early days of Del’s Drive-in, but Mr. Groves wanted to stick to hot dogs and root beer.
In 1976, the late Secondo Fanola bought the business and continued the tradition. Fanola’s son Joseph eventually took over, and one day Joseph’s son, Dustin, plans to run the family business.
According to Fanola, the business is still painted orange, though the A&W franchise got in a legal battle with the drive-in for failing to advertise their root beer as A&W’s. The Fanolas changed the iconic neon bullseye sign with “A&W’s Ice Cold Root Beer” to “Ice Cold Root Beer.” Corporate and the Fanola family cut ties, but there was a condition: A&W wanted the drive-in repainted a new color to remove all traces of the company’s branding. The mugs had to be changed and everything. But the Fanola’s kept the color and renamed the drive-in to better represent the city.
Monroe’s Original bears the slogan: “The hot dog you grew up on.” This is what the establishment is all about. The formula has never changed. Because they only do chili dogs, chips, and root beer, Monroe’s Original takes extra care to steam the buns and to keep the hot dogs piping hot, while still serving the root beer in frosted mugs.
So why would anyone want to go to Vince’s?
Vince Julian worked for Del’s Drive-in in the early days, but in 1955 he started his own drive-in, taking over a B&K franchise on the River Raisin. He called it “Vince’s West Elm Drive-in.” He served the same hot dogs as Del’s but later expanded to a full menu.
I asked Fanola and the current owner of Vince’s, Jason Harrington, what they thought of the rivalry.
“That’s what they say,” said Harrington. “There isn’t really a rivalry. But people online love to compare the chili dogs and the root beer. So it helps our business.”
When I asked Fanola the same question, he said the same thing, essentially. There is no rivalry. Yet, he had strong reasons for only selling chili dogs.
“I don’t have anything against Vince’s. I know their people. They’re good people. I’m just glad I don’t have to compete against pizza places, Culver’s, and Chick-fil-A. They have a full menu and do chili dogs. We only do chili dogs, so we don’t have to compete. Vince originally had the same recipe as us but later changed the chili so that now it’s more of a ketchup while we still use more meat. Fifty years ago there was a rivalry.”
Mr. Fanola went on to emphasize there wasn’t really a rivalry, but then he stopped and asked, “What is the definition of a rivalry?”
I told him it had more to do with the fan base than the owners. He agreed.
“Yes. I hear about people getting 20 chili dogs from each place and having parties where people vote for which one they like better. But we do so much more to make our chili dogs warm. We’ll sell eight dogs every nine minutes.”
Whichever team the customers are on, they are adamant in their opinions. Yet it makes sense that Monroe residents would favor Monroe’s Original, given how it has maintained tradition. The people here love an icon of their community. Something that has never changed.
I’ve had both. Monroe’s Original is a fun way to see the remnants of the old culture. Receiving food on a tray that hangs off your window is fun. Frosted mugs are fun. An old neon sign and an overhang is fun.
But Vince’s is right on the River Raisin. There’s no tray for your window, and the root beer comes in Styrofoam cups, but you can get out and eat right on the River Raisin, which is as pleasant a dining experience as you can get. In my opinion, for a Monroe-style dog, Vince’s is better. Yet the hot dogs are similar.
At the end of my conversation with Harrington about the rivalry, he said something profound: “It’s just hot dogs.”
It isn’t about the dogs. It’s about a small Rust Belt town’s need for something warm and comfortable. Something that makes them proud to live where they live and feel they have a culture to share.
Sometimes that’s just hot dogs.
Noah Wing is a contributing writer for Michigan Enjoyer. You can subscribe to his newsletter at noahwing.substack.com.
