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News Of Hot Dog Stand's Closing Prompts Epic First-World Freakouts

You'd think the world were about to end.
By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

In this Oct. 9, 2013, photo, customers enjoy their meal at Doug Sohn's Hot Doug's restaurant on the northwest side of Chicago, at what has been called "The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium." Sohn's hot dog eatery offers such creations as, _ smoked and spicy alligator sausage with crayfish etoufee mayonnaise and smoked blue cheese drizzled with honey, _ apple, pear and port wine elk sausage with cherry-apricot mustard, double creme brie cheese and pate de campagne, and _ red mole turkey sausage with chipotle dijonnaise, queso asadero and fried tortillas. Sohn has a rotating stockpile of about 100 recipes that he?s created and gets his meats from a dozen different sausage makers. He says he knew he hit it big when the sausage companies started coming to him. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
In this Oct. 9, 2013, photo, customers enjoy their meal at Doug Sohn's Hot Doug's restaurant on the northwest side of Chicago, at what has been called "The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium." Sohn's hot dog eatery offers such creations as, _ smoked and spicy alligator sausage with crayfish etoufee mayonnaise and smoked blue cheese drizzled with honey, _ apple, pear and port wine elk sausage with cherry-apricot mustard, double creme brie cheese and pate de campagne, and _ red mole turkey sausage with chipotle dijonnaise, queso asadero and fried tortillas. Sohn has a rotating stockpile of about 100 recipes that he?s created and gets his meats from a dozen different sausage makers. He says he knew he hit it big when the sausage companies started coming to him. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

In what's been dubbed an "encased meat emergency," the owner of one of Chicago's most beloved hot dog restaurants announced Tuesday that his shop will close -- for good -- this fall.

Hot Doug's owner Doug Sohn confirmed to the Chicago Tribune's Kevin Pang Tuesday that his popular eatery -- known for their delicious dogs and duck-fat fries and the massive lines of diners they attract -- will be closed for good come Oct. 4, when his "permanent vacation" begins.

"For me it's time," Sohn told DNAinfo Chicago. "There really is no overwhelming reason other than it's time to go do something else. ... The plan is not to own a restaurant anymore."

Sohn also took to Twitter to confirm the news, specifically addressing the restaurant's tradition of offering free hot dogs to anyone sporting a Hot Doug's tattoo. Obviously, now is not the best time to get the ink -- if you're only in it for the free food, that is.

As expected in a town that takes hot dogs as seriously as Chicago does, Windy City foodies did not take the news well. We rounded up some of the most hyperbolic, frequently all-caps (and occasionally expletive-laden) reactions:

Amidst screams, a single rose falls into a puddle in slow motion- Hot Doug's Closing Permanently Oct. 3: http://t.co/JsCBrMUUww @DNAinfoCHI

— Jonathan Hogan (@jghogan) May 6, 2014

Hot Doug's is going to close permanently on October 3rd. This is the worst day of my life. http://t.co/ZegQVg0PpM

— Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) May 6, 2014

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