Esskay Orioles Franks, one of the iconic food staples of Orioles home games, will soon disappear not only from the stadium, but from grocery stores as well.
Chris McFadden, brand manager for Smithfield Foods, who owns Esskay, says, "Our organization has made the difficult decision to discontinue Esskay hotdogs."
Essaky was founded in 1858 and a plant was built in Baltimore around 1920. Cal Ripken, Jr. famously endorsed the hot dogs during the 80s. The dogs had been served at Orioles games for decades at not only Camden Yards but Memorial Stadium as well. The Ravens also served the franks from the time M&T Bank Stadium opened in 1998 until 2010.
Smithfield bought the Esskay brand name in 1985 and stopped the production of the hot dogs in Baltimore at that time.