Apparently, what it takes to make the best hot dog in the Joliet area is one half Joliet and one half Chicago.

"They deserved true, Chicago-style hot dogs," said Mike Villareal, a Chicago native who owns Jody's Hot Dogs, 326 Republic Ave., with his wife Elizabeth.

Readers in Joliet, Channahon, Minooka and Shorewood picked Jody's Hot Dogs for best hot dog and the business took second place for best hamburger in our Readers' Choice poll.

The two took over ownership of Jody's in October 2009.

"We wanted to open a restaurant, my wife and I," Mike Villareal said. "My wife is an alumni of Joliet West."

She remembered a time when Jody's, then known as Judy's, was the place to go. She wanted to create that again.

Mike Villareal said the difference is that the food is cooked fresh to order and there is a larger variety on the menu.

"We brought in new menu options - wraps, salads, steaks," Mike Villareal said.

Elizabeth Villareal attributes the business' best hot dog win to its selection of an all-beef dog. Mike Villareal said it also is about the toppings, the poppy seed bun and the fact that everything is cooked to order.

When it comes to Jody's being chosen as the second favorite place in town to get a burger, Mike Villareal says it's pretty much the same. The business chooses an all-beef patty and the preperation of it is a honed skill.

"Basically, we prep the charbroiler like a steakhouse would," he said.

If they had to pick a favorite on the menu, Mike Villareal would choose the Italian beef and Elizabeth Villareal would choose the buffalo chicken sandwich.

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