More than 40,000 emergency hot dogs hit Olympic venues Monday.
And another 70,000 weiners are en route to help alleviate the hot-dog drought.
Originally, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee ordered 400,000 hot dogs to satisfy hungry fans. When those were gobbled up the first week of competition, SLOC frantically searched for more franks.
"We had anticipated that the hot dogs would be well received but this response, well, we were completely surprised," said Don Pritchard, SLOC director of food services.
The venues serve between 155,000 to 175,000 customers a day who are trying to catch their event and a meal at the same time.
Pritchard said everything was selling well at the venues ? so well in fact that spectators now are allowed to bring in their own food, something that was prohibited at the start of the Games. The rules changed due to the long lines spectators were forced to endure at the venues' food booths.
But the long waits haven't stopped hot-dog enthusiasts. The chili has also been selling extrodinary well ? more than 130,000 pounds have been dished up.
Sales are 33 percent more than Pritchard expected. Even with the extraordinary response to the hot dogs, Pritchard said he does not expect to make a profit or break even.
"Nobody ever breaks even at these things. We are just providing a service that people need," he said.