Quirky Statues At Mom And Pop Restaurants Are What Makes Them Great

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The owner of a West Virginia restaurant that was heavily damaged by fire has his coveted hot dog statue back.

The “Wienerman” statue was stolen from the Dairy Winkle in Campbells Creek during a break-in sometime after the Jan. 11 fire, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

A tip led deputies to a location where the statue was found undamaged. It was returned to restaurant owner Kerry Ellison, the statement said.

Investigators have not identified a suspect and are seeking information about the theft.

So this story comes out about a West Virginia restaurant sadly getting damages via a fire. To make matters worse a prized Hot Dog statue was stolen sometime after the fire. Now, obviously I'm happy the owner got back their statue, as well as hoping they can get back to their business and make a ton of money. I'm also upset with whoever stole it especially after a fire because that's a pretty shitty thing to do. 

However it got me thinking, these quirky statues are what make these mom and pop restaurants great, and I find it hard to believe anyone could think otherwise. Think about it, haven't you ever gone into a local pizza place and seen a quirky waiter statue like this, or a menu display like this? 

and felt almost a connection to it? Maybe it's a little Italian restaurant in your town you have been going to you whole life, maybe it's a burger joint, or even an upscale restaurant, you have no idea how it got there, but if you ever went in and didn't see it you would 100% notice it. 

To me it's these little quirky statues that make these places. It gives them identity. it makes them standout more than a corporate place like McDonald's. The statues at McDonald's are their characters carefully placed that flip into merch, commercials etc. They're all calculated. 

Statues like The Gemini Giant … those are different. 

Somewhere along the line, the couple that owned this place, broke into their profits and spent more than they should on a big statue because they thought it would bring people into the restaurant, or get people talking about it, and that's why I love it. The bigger or more quirky the statue the better. 

Look at some of these things, 

Advertisement

Maybe it's just me, but I think we should all appreciate places like the Dairy Winkle as well as quirky statues across the country. I'm also now on a quest to see the wackiest, or most random statues possible across the country. Much rather see those than a Ronald McDonald boring ass statue. 

Feel free to send over anything you find, I'm excited to start appreciating these statues.