Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Food

Founder of Wienerschnitzel John Galardi Passes Away

Wienerschnitzel.jpg
Photo by via the Xurble on Flickr
()

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

John Galardi, who opened the first Wienerschnitzel hot dog stand in Los Angeles in 1961, passed away of pancreatic cancer on Sunday. The chain had grown to have over 300 outlets across the United States. He was 75.

Galardi spent his years slanging eats at fast food chains, working for Taco Bell founder Glen Bell at the restaurant Taco Tia in Pasadena in 1961. The enterprising young man, who was born in Kansas City, opened the first Wienerschnitzel in the Wilmington area of L.A. at the age of 23. The restaurant specialized in hot dogs and chili.

Since then, hot dogs have gone gourmet in L.A. -- with the some even saying that wieners are the next big thing to hit the scene after hot dogs. (Fritzi Dogs, Dog Haus, Wurstkuche, and Umami's revamp of Old Papoo's Hot Dog Show are just a few places that have jumped on the trend.) Galardi paved the way for these cased-meat innovators.

"Galardi built a brand representative of a time when life was simpler, a brand that holds a special place in the hearts of so many families in America," Tase said in a statement to the Associated Press. "He will be deeply missed."

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist