Our Story
Since 1935, Deerhead Hot Dogs has been a Wilmington area tradition that has passed from generation to generation, creating a warm sense of nostalgia for many.
We got our start in the Hotel Olivere when Beulah R. Tilghman, who started as a Chamber Maid, created that first batch of what would become our famous Deerhead Secret Sauce!
The locals really took to these dogs and started calling them “Deerheads” in response to the mounted deerheads on the walls of the hotel’s restaurant and bar. The name took...
Soon enough, an official Deerhead Hot Dogs opened on Orange Street, between 6th and 7th, in downtown Wilmington, with Beulah at the helm.
Beulah, or as we like to call her, “The Notorious BRT”…in a nod to the monogram she had on the temple of her sunglasses that she wore while working…worked for Deerhead for seven decades. and was affectionately known as “The Hot Dog Girl” by many locals.
There are many fond memories of Ms. Beulah, who was probably one of the “Original Soup Nazis” in that she did not take any guff from anybody. During the lunch hour, there would be a line of customers stretching down the block. If you got to the counter, and did not have your order ready, she would yell at you and tell you “Go to the back of the line!”
Other stories tell of her smoking while working the grill, some would say the ashes that fell into the sauce actually made it better…we think it was Beulah’s tenacity that made it better instead.
Beulah’s Secret Sauce lives on, as a closely guarded secret. Many have tried to copy it, but none have succeeded, and we are still serving it up on our split grilled dogs, and anything else our customers want to put it on!
Besides being known for our great dogs and sauce, we are also known for our better burgers, super subs, superior steak sandwiches, frosty shakes, golden fries, and a whole lot of other tasty treats.
Thanks for helping us keep the tradition going…we are the place that the generations can come together for great shared memories, and we take that very seriously!