ROBERTSDALE, Ala. -- Chris Redd never thought he would take over his father’s hotdog/sausage dog stand, which is located on Highway 59 North in Robertsdale, but today he’s glad he did.

“My father, Clyde ‘Buddy’ Redd, was a boilermaker for over 30 years,” his son said. “”During that time he ate at a lot of hot dog stands and fast food establishments because he was covered with soot from work, and didn’t want to go into a sit-down restaurant. In the process he got to know quite a few of the owners.”

The senior Redd’s goal was to spend his retirement years selling hotdogs and sausage dogs along the side of a road. This is something he did when he opened his stand in1988, and rain or shine, served the people of Mobile and Baldwin counties with something special.

“What made his hotdogs and sausage dogs so special is the kraut he used,” Redd said. “The recipe is 131 years old, and has been in only two families. The kraut comes in both hot and mild.”

It shouldn’t be long before both versions of the kraut are sold in grocery stores, as Redd has been approached by a company that would not only make and bottle the kraut, but market it nationwide as well.

“It’s much like Wickles Pickles, which are sold in a number of grocery stores,” he said. “Their plant is near Opelika, but it took a lot of arm twisting for the owners to go ahead begin manufacturing their pickles.”

Being familiar with the Wickles story, Redd said that when he was approached about his kraut he was ready to get on board, as the kraut would also serve as something of a memorial for his father, who passed away in 2007.

“I believe in doing business in my home city and state,” he said. “In fact, all of the things I use to create the best hotdog or sausage dog that I can come from right here in Robertsdale. That includes the hotdogs and sausage that goes into the sausage dogs.”

Redd learned that it helps to know your customers, as several groups of people come in at various times of the day to discuss the issues that relate to the city, county, state, and federal governments.

“For these folks, coming here is much like a coffee klatch, as they discuss the weather and most everything else that comes to mind,” Redd said. “I’m often drawn into the discussions, which means I’d best do some reading in order to render an opinion that makes sense.”

Redd said he had three brothers and a sister, but they were all busy doing their own thing. Therefore, after the death of their father, Chris was encouraged to operate the stand.

“I used to help my father one or two days a week, when I was off from my fishing tackle company in Orange Beach,” he said. “When I saw that he was starting to get sicker I started working at the stand much more often. It was addictive, and I began to see what he enjoyed so much. You grow attached to the people who come by, plus you get to know them. Eventually, it all becomes a part of you.”

“People thought my father was tending his stand in rain and during the cold months just to provide them with lunch,” Redd said, “but actually, it was the people of this area who were doing so much for him.”

The term Redd’s World Famous Hotdogs comes from a businessman from New Zealand who was told by a friend that if he were ever in Baldwin County he needed to stop by and buy a hotdog or sausage dog.

“Well, this man was traveling through Alabama, so he decided to come by, even though it meant an extra three hours of drive time to get here,” he said. “This man really liked what we had, so we felt the term ‘world famous’ was just what we needed to add to the sign.”

Even though Redd hasn’t been on a vacation in 10 years he said he wasn’t complaining.

“Who knows,” he said, “maybe I’ll be able to close the stand for a week every so often, so that I and my family could go somewhere and see some of the sights.”

As 2:30 p.m. approaches, Redd began to pack up the stand and hitch it to his truck.

“Time to go re-stock for tomorrow, as well as check on the kraut we’re making. Tomorrow promises to be a busy day,” he said.