Dog Day Afternoon: Gray's Papaya Raises Price of 'Recession Special'

First the national debt clock runs out of placeholder digits, and now the price of two hot dogs and a drink from Gray’s Papaya—their legendary ‘Recession Special’—is increasing five whole cents short of a buck, from $3.50 to $4.45. On the subject of the price hike that he'd warned the world about last February, 72-year-old founder Nicholas Gray tells the Times, “It’s always very traumatic for me as well as the customers.”

Gray's Papaya, a New York mini-empire known for cheap hot dog and paper tropical fruit cutouts hanging from the ceiling, opened its first store in 1972. Nicolas Gray modeled his store on Papaya King, another hot dog shop whose stores and registered trademarked line “Papya King frankfurters are tastier than filet mignon” date all the way back to 1932. (Their franks are also vastly superior to movie hot dogs.) The ‘Recession Special’ at Gray's cost $1.95 throughout “most of the '90s,” according to the Times, then increased in 2002 and 2006.

Truly a sad day out there for hot dog lovers out there, especially fans of the economical combo deal that includes a "Coconut Champagne" or "Strawberry Supreme." The drinks at "Papaya" places are meant to be healthful elixirs to uplift the downtrodden in hard times. "Anything but pineapple and orange," warns the Times. They're cost-prohibitive.

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By Hugh Merwin in Food on October 20, 2008 6:20 PM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

#20: It's all about 'pumpable meat'.

nocturnal9

A 27% increase? All at once?

Whatever happened to raising it 50 cents now, then 50 cents later?

Quidnam

#20: Protein is protein -- better it not go to waste.

Reflect

i saw what hot dogs consist of on the science channels (How its made) it looked like animal slurry fat skin giblets all the trimmings blended together in a blubbery yellowish paste. add food coloring, salt and youve got a meal? Bleh.

JMH

Inflation is a bitch.

whitecastlerock

I hope they price themselves out of business. If you are drunk @ 5am this is a good deal. Beyond that, avoid this dump like the plague.

barryap

Definitely not cheap. Not when dogs are $1.50 tops at most carts.

Jen Chung

I like how the sign still trumpets a savings of $1.

JacqueMehoff

that's quite a jump and the drink is mostly foam.

jterry121

More evidence NYC is losing its status in the world

zstone

Let me know when they start carrying Niman Ranch dogs.

blablanyc

Classic NY Punk band (dorks) Bugout Society song -Bum Rush At Gray's Papaya

the3rdbridge

The inflation special!

Fritzdecat

Cheaper to go to McSorely's and have a Ham Sandwich with that five alarm mustard in a mug...

Rocknrope

He wants to kill me so bad he can taste it! ATTICA!

chuzzlewit

godammit.

babyhitler

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! animal nitrates taste good. I only have grays like twice a year but when I do I enjoy it and what makes me enjoy it even more is that it's cheap. $4.45 is not cheap.