Joey Fatone Will Serve Free Hot Dogs to the First 100 Guests When Fat One's Opens at Universal CityWalk on Saturday, September 19

The first 100 people in line at Fat One's at Universal CityWalk on Saturday morning get a hot dog handed to them by a member of *NSYNC. Fat One's Hot Dogs & Italian Ice now has its grand opening date: 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, and Joey Fatone is showing up to serve.

As of early September, the closest thing to a date was Fatone saying in the comments of a September 1 Instagram post that the opening would come sometime this month, according to Attractions Magazine. Now there is a day, a time and an opening-day giveaway.

The Fat One's counter looking nearly finished, with queue rails installed and a worker still busy on the patio. The old Hot Dog Hall of Fame stadium seats are still at far right. Photo: Bioreconstruct on X, via WDW News Today

How the free hot dogs work

• When: Saturday, September 19. Universal is encouraging guests who want in to arrive at 10 a.m., according to Attractions Magazine.
• The giveaway: the first 100 guests each get a wristband good for one free hot dog, handed over by Fatone himself.
• The catch: space is limited and wristbands go out first come, first served.
• Photos: Fatone will also pose for photos, but only for a limited time.

Attractions Magazine reports that Joe Mulvihill, Fatone's manager and his co-founder in the chain, will be there as well.

What is on the menu

The CityWalk location will serve nine gourmet hot dogs, Italian ice in several flavors and a lineup of specialty beers, per Attractions Magazine. Three dogs got the spotlight:

• The Fat One: the namesake is a footlong piled with roasted pork, pepperoni, chili beans, cheddar cheese sauce, red onion sauce, Pop Fries and chives.
• The Brazilian: grilled linguica sausage on a brioche bun with onion sauce, jalapeño veganaise, cotija cheese, Calabrian honey, red peppers, cilantro and potato sticks.
• Dirty K-Pop Dog: a Korean-inspired dog with kimchi slaw, spicy gochujang mayonnaise, scallions, crispy onions and black sesame.

The Fat One's logo sign, cartoon Fatone included. Photo: Bioreconstruct on X, via WDW News Today

A homecoming, with a hot dog

Fat One's takes the spot that belonged to Hot Dog Hall of Fame, which served CityWalk from 2014 until it closed in July. Universal named Fat One's as the replacement back in May, according to Attractions Magazine.

For Fatone this is familiar ground. Attractions Magazine notes that he moved to the Orlando area from New York as a teenager, went to Dr. Phillips High School, and performed at Universal Studios Florida before *NSYNC took off. His first Fat One's opened at The Florida Mall in 2016, so the CityWalk stand arrives a decade after that one.

Also at CityWalk on Saturday

If you are making a day of it, Theme Park Insider reports that The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen will mark its 10th anniversary at CityWalk the same afternoon, from 3 to 6 p.m. Plans include a hands-on chocolate dipping station and a Toothsome 10th Anniversary Milkshake that guests can buy.

Our take: 100 wristbands for a free hot dog from a boy band member, on a Saturday, is not a lot of wristbands. Universal's guidance is to arrive at 10 a.m., but wristbands go first come, first served, so if this one matters to you, do not cut it close.

Sources

• WDW News Today, Fat One's Sets Universal CityWalk Grand Opening Date, Offering Free Hot Dogs from Joey Fatone
• Attractions Magazine, Fat One's Universal CityWalk's newest restaurant opens this weekend
• Theme Park Insider, Universal Orlando welcomes new celebrity hot dog stand

Image credits: Both photos by Bioreconstruct on X, as published by WDW News Today.