Skin Thrasher's Hot Dogs (South Carolina)

Some restaurants figure out how to do something good and then stick with it. Skins (or, Skin Thrashers) is just such a place. If you have a large group of people who want a variety of menu items to choose from this is not the place for you. The simplicity of Skins menu makes it easy to order, but does not offer much in the way of choice. If you don’t want a hot dog, you are out of luck. Skins makes the best hot dogs in the South. The biggest questions you have to answer is whether or not you want them all the way, and how many do you think you can eat. If you shortchange yourself and only order two...finding you have room for three...don’t worry, they come around to check on you often.

Textile Mills are part of the rich history of South Carolina’s Upstate. Part of the history of the Textile Mills is the food service industry that catered to the mill workers. Skins got their start catering to the hearty appetites of mill workers. The old Skins building is located in Anderson, South Carolina. The building looks like a rickety shanty reminiscent of many of the houses located in the mill hills. The interior of the building looks exactly how you would imagine it from the outside. An old time worn lunch counter that has seen many customers enter hungry and leave happy. Skins has many newer locations that have the same great hot dogs, but none of them have the atmosphere that you will find at the original. I have eaten at Skins in Anderson, Greenville and Greer. The dogs are great whichever restaurant you choose and the eclectic photographs of South Carolina history combined with old news clippings and signs give all of the locations a bit of character. But the Anderson location still holds her history.

Another thing that sets Skins apart from other stores is their sense of tradition. They hold on to a value system that, for some of us, epitomizes what small business is all about. Along with keeping an old run-down store open while newer locations pop up everywhere, they also stay true to other traditions. For instance, Skins is not open on Sundays or Mondays. I can’t count the number of times I have been heartbroken pulling into Skins’ parking lot on a Monday at lunch and remembering they are closed on Mondays. Inside Skins, alongside photos of local history is a large sign declaring that there is a two beer minimum and reminding customers that the language you use in church is appropriate for Skins. Another tradition is service...something missing from many restaurants today. The staff at all of the Skins I have eaten at have been friendly and professional. Quick friendly service...you gotta love it. Simple things like this hearken back to a time when the world wasn’t such a scary place. Maybe it’s this trip down memory lane that appeals to so many customers. But I tend to think it’s really just the great hot dogs.

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