NEW ORLEANS — On any given weekday afternoon, you can catch Jimmy Robb serving his unique franks and sausages under this red and yellow umbrella on Uptown corners or at a pop-up event at the Garden District Book Shop inside The Rink.
“People give hotdogs a bad name and I’m trying to change that narrative. So, if you’ve ever had a glitzy, you would see something totally different from a regular hotdog,” said Robb.
When asked what makes his Franks different, he says, “It’s my bun. The Franks, the name… GLIZZIES. Everybody else got hotdogs. I’m the only one that got GLIZZIES.”
On the weekends, he’s introducing people enjoying the French Quarter’s nightlife to the Glizzies steaming on his pushcart -- leaving people speechless.
Pushcart vendors not named “Lucky Dog” in the French Quarter were prohibited since the 1970s until the city council voted on a new ordinance, amending the court that once made its way to the Supreme Court.
Robb says New Orleans City Councilmember Freddie King was instrumental in this new surge of opportunity businesses on wheels.
“Once we found out that this has been going on for 50 years, with the monopoly, it was a no-brain for me. Especially when I knew there were small black-owned pushcart owners who could bend in other parts of the city but not in the French Quarter. I took that personally,” said Councilmember Freddie King.
Robb explains, “When I first started, I was learning the codes about vending and I found that Lucky Dog was the only one who could be vending in the Quarter. I was fighting the city for a long time, and I was like, that’s not fair.”
Now, Glizzies by Poppa and other vendors new to the French Quarter are featured in a documentary, “Dirty Dawgs,” that’s been entered in about three dozen contests.
Cinematographer, Adrian Sosebee, says he and other makers of the film are not trying to place the blame on the previous ordinance or Lucky Dogs.
“It was like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. We’re not even pointing fingers at Lucky Dogs. This is just something that slipped under the crack for so long.” Sosebee said.
With plans to buy a second cart soon and open a brick-and-mortar in the future, Robb wants to blaze a trail for others.
“I’m walking so future vendors can run. I’m sure in the future, you’ll see more vendors besides hotdogs out there,” said Robb.
After a visit to city hall, WWL Louisiana was told all 46 of the city’s pushcart vending permits are unavailable and the next renewal period begins in January of 2025.
There is no word if more permits will be created by the next renewal period.
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