"Chicago’s legendary Wiener’s Circle has stayed closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. That means the staff, known for putting on a show and insulting naive customers at the Lincoln Park hot dog stand, has some extra time on their hands. As a way to make sure Chicagoans know they still care during the outbreak, on Friday the restaurant released a new YouTube video series. The Wiener’s Circle News is a mock newscast full of profanity. Staff, including Poochie Jackson, read off a script and tackle current events. For example. the video rips on Jared Kushner — President Trump’s son-in-law and advisor — for his role during the response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. There’s also sports and weather reports, all presented in signature Wiener’s Circle style. This isn’t an all-ages show, and it’s not fair and balanced. A spokesperson says they’ve got more episodes and the release dates are TBD. The staff wrote the script after marketing gave them a few headlines and prompts. The goal was for them to riff in the same manner they riff with customers at the hot dog stand. The 37-year-old Wiener’s Circle is a Lincoln Park icon that stayed open late night and was briefly the subject of a reality TV show. In more recent years, the restaurant’s marquee has become a space for jokes that rip on the Trump administration and laud the Chicago Cubs. The restaurant’s current owners include Ari Levy, son of Chicago restaurateur Larry Levy of Levy Restaurants." - Ashok Selvam