Here's what's new about Dime-A-Dog Nights at Columbus Clippers games this season
There are changes coming this season to the Columbus Clippers' wildly popular Dime-A-Dog Nights.
Don't worry: They're still a dime.
But in an effort to get 10-cent hot dogs into fans' hands more quickly, the company that runs concessions for the Clippers at Huntington Park will streamline its menu for the Tuesday night home-game promotions.
You'll still be able to get peanuts and Cracker Jack — and popcorn and pretzels and other quick-service snacks — but stands serving up the main attraction won't be preparing much else on Tuesday nights. Team spokesman Chris Sprague said the move is being made to reduce concession-stand wait times.
More: What success looks like for Columbus Clippers in 2024: 'Everybody's got the same goals'
If you're not a hot dog lover, don't worry. Stands such as Donatos, Club Level concessions areas and food carts, which don't serve 10-cent dogs, will have all their items available.
The Clippers have 12 Dime-A-Dog Nights scheduled this season, and the first is set for Tuesday's home-opener vs. the Omaha Storm Chasers. For the uninitiated, Dime-A-Dog Night is just what it says: Hot dogs cost 10 cents for the duration of the game. It's a 47-year tradition for the team, a gimmick originally created to draw fans on a formerly slow weeknight.
It's become a hot ticket. A 56-item Columbus bucket list created by The Dispatch last year included No. 39: "Eat as many hot dogs as possible at the Columbus Clippers’ Dime-A-Dog Night."
"Most weeks here, the Tuesday night game is the most popular of the week specifically because of the hot dogs," Sprague said.
Despite that, he said the team gets no priority from the schedulers when it comes to Tuesday night home games. Dime-A-Dog Nights used to be on Mondays, actually, until Major League Baseball took control of scheduling in 2021 and made Mondays a league-wide day off.
Another local tradition: How I learned to love Columbus-style pizza
Dime-A-Dog survived the date change, but Clippers officials worried about the impact of another change they once considered making. Team President and General Manager Ken Schnacke thought about raising the price to a quarter a dog one season but tells people he worried fans would revolt.
On non-Dime-A-Dog nights, hot dogs will cost $4.50 at concession stands this season. Ten-cent dogs would go for 51 cents apiece today if the Clippers adjusted the price for inflation since the promotion's debut on May 23, 1977, a month after professional baseball returned to Columbus.
"I’ve heard him say that after that, he decided that the promotion will always be Dime-A-Dog as long as he’s here," Sprague said.
Schnacke and the Clippers are now in their 48th year.
2024 Dime-A-Dog Nights
Here are the dates for every Dime-A-Dog Night this season. They're part of Tansky Tuesdays at Huntington Park.
April 2: vs. Omaha Storm Chasers, 6:15 p.m.
April 16: vs. Buffalo Bisons, 6:15 p.m.
April 30: vs. Toledo Mud Hens, 6:15 p.m.
May 14: vs. Louisville Bats, 7:05 p.m.
May 28: vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 7:05 p.m.
June 11: vs. Iowa Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
June 25: vs. Omaha Storm Chasers, 7:05 p.m.
July 23: vs. Memphis Redbirds, 5:05 p.m.
July 30: vs. Syracuse Mets, 7:05 p.m.
Aug. 20: vs. Indianapolis Indians, 6:15 p.m.
Sept. 3: vs. Durham Bulls, 6:15 p.m.
Sept. 10: vs. St. Paul Saints, 6:15 p.m.
Instagram: @dispatchdining
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Clippers Dime-A-Dog Nights return for 2024 baseball season
