Why Are Korean Hot Dogs So Popular? TikTok Is Part Of The Answer

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Have you ever tried a Korean hot dog? If you haven't, you can now find them right here in Minnesota.

The first Korean hot dog restaurant in Minnesota opened in Dinkytown this spring. The fast casual Korean hot dog joint called CrunCheese offers 10 different flavors along with a variety of sauces.

If you come around lunch time, there will typically be a line out the door.

Manager Aiden Yeu told WCCO the Korean hot dog trend has taken off in America largely due to social media, especially people posting on TikTok.

He's talking about the shot of the long string of hot, gooey mozzarella that emerges after you bite into a Korean hot dog.

"We try sweet chili or hot sauces or sugary if you want to," Yeu said. "You can add any kind of cheese so we have other options besides the usual American hot dogs."

"It's very unique that's the best way to describe it," customer Keith Tucker said.

The corndog-like, or perhaps Pronto-Pup-like, food on a stick is stuffed with different ingredients, from a traditional cheese to the more unique squid ink.

They have a crunch when you take a bite.

"It's a trend in Asia, and so it's nice to have a spot like this in the Twin Cities," customer Mai Moua said.

CrunCheese doesn't have any indoor seating so customers take their order to go.

CrunCheese is open everyday from noon to 10 p.m.