Weather delays at Olympics spike sales of hot dogs; 250,000 more wieners ordered

Saturday, February 16th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MILWAUKEE (AP) _ Event delays caused by the weather at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City have sent spectators to the concession stands, where Usinger's hot dogs have proved so popular that organizers had to order an extra 250,000 wieners.

The certified Angus beef wieners from Milwaukee-based Usinger's Famous Sausage were such hot sellers that the games on Tuesday stopped serving them to the 30,000 volunteers and staff.

Hot dogs were still available to the 90,000 patrons after the original 400,000 order was severely depleted. The games never ran out of wieners

``Not only were the spectators gobbling them up and waiting in line,'' said Don Pritchard, director of food services for the games. ``But also our staff and volunteers were really gobbling them up.''

Usinger's Famous Sausage is nationally known for its bratwurst and hot dogs, and its downtown factory and store is a common stop for tourists.

The 122-year old company is taking the demand at the Olympics in stride, considering February is usually a slow time of year.

``It's a perfect time of the year for this to happen to us,'' said Debra Usinger, director of retail operations.

The company has some employees working a few more hours to keep up with the demand, she said.

``It's got our adrenaline going,'' Usinger said Friday. ``You realize there is a fun challenge in front of you and everyone pulls together.''

Margaret Riley, a machine operator at the factory, said the extra business reminds her of the holidays, when demand is usually higher.

``It keeps me busy,'' she said. ``I don't like to stand around doing nothing.''

Pritchard said staff and volunteers, who get a choice of meals each day, will be able to pick the hot dogs again by Monday, when he expects to be ``fully franked.''