Martino's prepares to close after 52 years: How Chicago hot dogs ended up in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - There’s a long list of things that Milwaukee and Chicago disagree on. The Bears. The Packers. Deep dish. Cheese curds. But there’s one place this rivalry comes to a stop.

Inside Martino’s, the lunch rush line moves fast. It’s been that way for more than half a century.

“From the very, very beginning. 1973,” said Martino’s owner TJ Anderson.

Inside this Milwaukee joint, you’ll find tradition built on rivalry.

“We taught Chicago what to do. Some listened. Some didn’t,” said Anderson.

Separated by less than 90 miles, there’s not much the two cities can agree on.

“The only good thing that ever came out of Chicago are the hotdogs. That’s it. That’s it,” said Anderson.

Except that.

“Usually a Chicago style hotdog,” said customer Patrick Deveroux.

The rules are clear.

“You start with mustard,” said Anderson.

Then you add your onions and neon green relish.

“Then we’re going to take two sport peppers,” said Anderson.

Because we’re in Milwaukee, Anderson says you have to take a dig at Chicago while assembling.

“In Chicago they use celery salt. Here we use a celery seed because there’s enough sodium in everything else in the world,” said Anderson.

Then comes the tomatoes and pickle. That’s it.

“There is no ketchup on a hotdog,” said Anderson. He makes sure of that.

“Oh yeah, they ask them. And for 47 years I was accommodating,” said Anderson. “Now I tell them no. I’m not ruining my hotdog because you want ketchup on it.”

But how did a piece of Chicago end up across the border? For all his trash talk about the place – Anderson has some roots there.

“The reason why we did that is my mother and my father were both from Chicago,” said Anderson.

After approaching Vienna Beef, Martino’s became the first place in Wisconsin to serve the Chicago dog.

“I live in Brookfield so a fair distance from here and I come where once or twice a month,” said customer Jim Pomraning.

And if you ask any Wisconsinite here, Martino’s serves them well.

“Delicious. I should have ordered two,” said Deveroux.

“Being sister cities with Chicago, I think we kind of know what we’re doing and this place makes it really well,” said customer Meadow Dufrane.

There’s a Midwest peace treaty inside, but after serving up a diplomatic mission for most of his life, Anderson is assembling one last Chicago dog.

“December 19th is our last day,” said Anderson. “My wife and I are retiring.”

Today’s lunch rush line is full of Chicagoans tasting a piece of home and Milwaukeeans enjoying a piece of the Windy City guilt free.

“We came to get one more visit. Obviously 100s of people came to get one more visit,” said Pomraning.

For Anderson, it was always simple.

“We schlep hotdogs for a living. That’s all we do. That’s all my wife and I have ever done. We schlep hotdogs,” said Anderson. “We have never looked at ourselves as an institution or an iconic place. We’ve never looked at ourselves like that.”

While the rivalry between the two cities may never end, there’s one thing both cities can agree on.

“Oh I don’t put ketchup on,” said Deveroux.

The rules will stay the same till the very last day, there’s no ketchup on a Chicago dog – no matter what side of the border you’re on.