Barkers Red Hots Returns

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Photos of Barkers Red Hots hot dogs in Smyrna.

Barkers Red Hots became well-known because they used charcoal to grill their hot dogs instead of boiling or steaming them as most restaurants do. Some things haven't changed.

Barkers sells all-beef dogs and, in a concession to changing tastes, a veggie dog and a chicken sausage served with feta cheese and spinach.

For years, Barkers Red Hots carts were the place to grab a hot dog in Atlanta. But in 1995, Glenn (pictured) and Vivian Robins sold their carts. They're back, and now they have air conditioning in their Smyrna restaurant.

Regular customer Kelli Sumlin enjoys a hot dog.

"We've been out of it for 12 years and people still walk in the door like it was yesterday," Glenn Robins said. "They still remember that hot dog they had in Woodruff Park or the Arts Center so long ago."

An employee puts the finishing touches on a charcoal-grilled hot dog.

Cheryl Hardin and her daughter daughter Hannah, 5, enjoy their hot dog lunch.

Barkers first opened in 1984 and eventually had carts in Woodruff Park, Midtown, Underground Atlanta and the Georgia Dome. Here, Vivian Robins prepares a hot dog.

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Barkers Red Hots became well-known because they used charcoal to grill their hot dogs instead of boiling or steaming them as most restaurants do. Some things haven't changed.

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