Flaurie Berman: Queen of Superdawg

Little has changed at Superdawg, the iconic Chicago hot dog stand, since high school sweethearts Maurie and Florence “Flaurie” Berman (SESP47) opened it on Chicago’s Northwest Side in May 1948. They started the seasonal drive-in as a way to earn extra cash while Maurie, then recently home from World War II, prepared for a career in accounting. When the Bermans were forced to buy their plot of rented land at the intersection of Milwaukee and Devon avenues or risk losing it, their plans for a short-term operation changed. That prolonged stay turned into a year-round, full-out family affair, with Flaurie quitting her teaching job to run the carhop operation. The menu hasn’t changed much — you can still get an original recipe all-beef Superdawg. Carhops still deliver meals to your car, and the two scantily clad hot dog statues — 12-foot winking, blinking incarnations of Flaurie and Maurie — continue to tower atop the shop. — Jessica Allen (WCAS12)