Save Max's hot dogs

Only ten years ago, the Loop had no shortage of indie hot-dog stands. But in April, when Harry’s Hot Dogs closed, that left the Loop with only one: Max’s Take Out. “If you’re an independent guy without the financial backing of a big corporation, they don’t want to lease the space out to you,” owner Max Khan says about the demise of his kind. In 2007 Chicago chain America’s Dog moved directly across the street from Khan’s store. Max’s didn’t take much of a hit at first. But in November, business started dropping off. Yet Khan thinks the bad economy may actually be good for his business. “Instead of $10 for a sub,” he says, “you [can] spend a couple on a hot dog.” That is, you can as long as there’s a hot-dog stand left.

Keep the hot dog alive at 20 E Adams St (312-553-0170, maxsonadams.com).

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