Hot dogs are best served in a hot car, often with mustard and rainbow sprinkles. The crunch of the car complements the mustard tang, and this is the most common way that hot dogs are prepared and eaten in Florida.

The hot car and hot dog combination dates back to 2023, when the social media influencer PipsInTamps tried to comission a "hot CatDog" from a rule 34 AI generator but misspelled the "Cat" part and instead got an enticing, 56 minute video of the then-fictional cardog dish.

PipsInTamps was so intrigued by the dish that he made it for himself, and soon began selling them on the roadside in his home city of Tampa. The first few batches resulted in considerable patron illness, due mostly to the chewing and digesting of car. The dish went viral on social media and is now among the most popular street foods in Florida.