Samuel Ladany and Emil Reichl two Jewish immigrants came to the United States from Austria-Hungary in 1890. They started Vienna Beef, Ltd. which used to be called Vienna Sausage Company in 1894 on Chicago’s Near West Side at 417 S. Halsted Ave. Sausages, along with other kosher delicatessen products, such as frankfurters, knockwurst, pickled corned beef, salami, and bologna, formed the early core of Vienna's line.

The Vienna Company's sausages, in keeping with dietary laws associated with kosher food preparation, were 100 percent beef, distinguishing them from the more common pork and pork/beef blended sausages, and rigid supervision and inspection of their products assured consistency in quality.

Soon the Vienna Company began selling to other retailers, and the company's reputation spread throughout Chicago. Peddlers' routes carried Vienna's products to a steadily growing list of clients. The company also became active outside of Chicago. The company began to hire jobbers, beginning in Detroit around the turn of the century, to distribute its products. The jobber maintained a stock of Vienna products to deliver to stores in his area, permitting quicker delivery and more widespread distribution. Before long Vienna's kosher products were sold throughout much of the country.^[1]

Without any word to anyone, Vienna started to expand their line of hotdogs and sausages to include pork intestine casing and sheep intestine casing dogs.

Aside from the obvious fact that pork is not kosher for Jews and or permissible to Muslims, there are people who are allergic to pork and others, like the character from Pulp fiction who just won’t eat pork.^[2]

Thus, when several of Vienna’s customers discovered that their "all beef" hotdogs were made with pork intestine casing they were not too pleased. One wrote a letter to Vienna asking them to stop advertising their products as all beef and to refund all the money they had taken from consumers who would not have eaten the product knowing it contained pork. No refund was made. A copy of the lawsuit filed shortly thereafter is attached to this link.

In response to the consumers’ lawsuit, Vienna says that although its own print advertising and website claimed their hot dogs were "all beef" "100% beef" or "pure beef" - while at the same time containing pork intestine casing - they can not be held liable for three basic reasons, (See Vienna’s Motion to Dismiss), which I have boiled down into plain English:

1. Because Vienna was not the ones to actually "sell" the hotdogs to consumers, but the "mom and pop" hot dog stands were the ones to sell the offending hotdogs, Vienna should not be responsible, the "mom and pop" hot dogs stands should be, (way to go Vienna, stand behind your public representations - oh I mean stand behind your vendors);
2. Because the label on the wholesale box, (the one that the consumer never sees but is the one sold to the mom and pop hotdog stand), has an ingredients list that says the dogs contain pork casing, Vienna cant be sued for it’s advertising; and
3. (This is the best), Because the people who don’t eat pork, because of health, religion or otherwise, can not prove that they saw Vienna’s "all beef" advertising, (you know, the same advertising for the last 100 years), before eating the dog, they can not prove that they were damaged by Vienna’s false statements.

^[1] http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Vienna-Sausage-Manufacturing-Co-Company-History.html

^[2] Dialogue from the movie "Pulp Fiction" between Vincent and Jules:
      Vincent:  Want some bacon?
      Jules:  No man, I don't eat pork.
      Vincent:  Are you Jewish?
      Jules:  Nah, I ain't Jewish, I just don't dig on swine, that's all.
      Vincent:  Why not?
      Jules:  Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals.
      Vincent:  Bacon tastes gooood. Pork chops taste gooood.
      Jules:  Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never know 'cause
      I wouldn't eat the filthy mother-----r. Pigs sleep and root in s--t. That's a filthy
      animal. I ain't eat nothin' that ain't got enough sense enough to disregard its own feces.

If you do not eat pork products due to religious, moral, or health related basis and want to be a member of the action against Vienna Beef to stop their false advertising practices regarding their "beef" products that really contain pork or sheep casings send us an e-mail with the following information:

1. Your full name, Your address, your phone number
2. The number of years you have lived there
3. Your telephone number and contact information
4. Name of the location(s) where you ate the product - store bought products are NOT at issue, only hotdog stands;
5. Address of the location(s);
6. Date or "approximate" date, month or year of eating at the location(s);
7. What exactly was eaten, was it a 1) jumbo hot-dog, 2) a polish sausage or 3) a foot long hotdog;
8. Receipts if possible, (if not, that is ok too);
9. A sample of the product along with the wholesale box lid or box itself, (if not, that is ok too); and
10. Reason why don’t you eat pork, or sheep (religious reason, moral, health, allergic, migraines).

Use this link:   to submit your claim.

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