Meet the Wienermobile Driver Rolling Through Colorado

Hot diggity dog! The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, a 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels, is roaming Colorado this week as part of a coast-to-coast tour. More than 4,000 people interviewed for the “Hotdogger” job, a one-year assignment that involves driving the Wienermobile across the country and doing “meat and greets.” Only a dozen applicants cut the mustard, though. In fact, more people have been to space than have driven the prized vehicle.

We had a chance to catch up with one of the esteemed Hotdoggers, Brandon Mazzaferro, aka “Bun Man Bran,” as he rolls through Colorado this week. A recent graduate of the University of Alabama, Mazzaferro is originally from the suburbs of Chicago (translated: he has a bias toward dragged-through-the-garden hot dogs and don’t you dare put ketchup on them) and has been cruising in the Weinermobile for three months. “I’m still fresh meat,” he says.

To help land the gig, Mazzaferro remixed the Oscar Mayer jingle into a hip-hop beat and rewrote a Biggie Smalls song to be about hot dogs. Here, he tells us about the relished role and what it’s like driving the Wienermobile in Colorado.

5280: If you were to create a “Denver-style” hot dog, what would be on it?
Brandon Mazzaferro: Denver green chiles to give it some Colorado spice and some melty local beer cheese to cool it down. A chile and cheese dog, if you will.

Have you taken the Wienermobile on a spin through the mountains? What’s been the most interesting Colorado drive?
The Wienermobile loves the mountains. We can get her going 40 miles per hour if we really floor it going uphill. We took it to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs this week, and some people were more amazed by the Wienermobile in the parking lot than the legendary scenery.

We love beer here in Colorado. If you had a designated driver for the Wienermobile, which local beer would you pair with a dog?
Not sure on beer, but I heard Grey Poupon just came out with a mustard-flavored wine. You can’t tell me a glass of that wouldn’t be perfect with a piping hot wiener. 

What’s on the playlist in the Wienermobile?
Snoop Dogg, of course! Snoop, if you’re reading this, please reply to my DMs about a ride in the Wienermobile.

What’s it like inside the Wienermobile?
We have our famous “meatbelts,” a retractable “bunroof,” a “bun box” glovebox, a mustard-stained floor, and blue skies on the ceiling. Whenever I walk in, I feel like I am dreaming.

Any tips for our aspiring Wienermobile drivers on how to nab the job?
You gotta be yourself! I talked about everything in my interview, from my spring break adventures to my favorite hot dog toppings. Speaking of, don’t put ketchup on your hot dogs. That’s bad luck where I’m from.

Meet Mazzaferro and see his Wienermoble at King Soopers, 8126 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton (October 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and Urban Market, 601 16th St. Mall (October 9 and 10, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.). You can also find Wienermobiles near you here.