Binghamton grad drives iconic Oscar Mayer Frankmobile around United States as a ‘Frankfurter’

A 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels, Oscar Mayer’s “Frankmobile” (formerly known as the “Wienermobile”) makes its way around the United States each year for countless fans. The iconic vehicle is operated by an annual class of “Frankfurters,” a group of about a dozen people hired to operate and display the vehicle at various stops around the country.

Binghamton alum Chloe Van Caeseele ’23 is part of the current class of Frankfurters, and has been traveling city to city for months with the vehicle. Her work was even featured on CBS News in July.

What’s life like as a Frankfurter? Here’s what she had to say.

How did you first learn about this position, and what made you want to pursue it?

The vehicle is so unique that all it took for me to be interested was seeing it parked in a mall parking lot in Rochester, N.Y. when I was in high school. There was nobody around or working, but I took a picture in front of it and it made my entire day.

One day a few years later, I randomly thought of the Wienermobile and wondered who actually drove that thing. I did some online research and saw a program that is all about travel, public relations, tradition, and making people smile. Being a Hotdogger seemed like the perfect role for me so I knew that I had to try. What an opportunity of a lifetime to live in a different city every week and drive a 27-foot-long hot dog!

What was the interview process like?

The process is very competitive. Over 2,000 people apply, but only 12 cut the mustard and get selected. That’s a less than 1% acceptance rate, so statistically speaking it is more competitive to get this job than it is to get accepted into an Ivy League school.

You start off by submitting a resume and cover letter and if you are selected to move forward, that’s when your interviews start. The process lasts from January to April and those months, while nerve-wracking, were so special to me because they showed me how much Binghamton University cared about me. My friends were cheering me on, the Fleishman Center was preparing me for every step, my professors and instructors were flexible when I had to miss class to fly to Madison, Wisconsin, and coworkers and other connections were checking in on me during the process. It was such an important time in my life and I felt so much love and support from my Binghamton community.

How did you react upon learning the news?

I remember exactly when I got the call. I was sitting at my desk in the Couper Administration Building on campus as an intern for the Division of Communications and Marketing and a Madison phone number popped up. My heart sank and I jumped up and went to the lobby. There was a little bench where I sat down and answered the call.

The person on the line, my current boss, told me that I had gotten the position and my jaw dropped. There were so many emotions running through my head, but I mostly felt excitement and gratitude. I 100% cried on the phone and was shaking. This was my dream job for the longest time and it finally came true. I went outside to the back of the building and jumped up and down when I called my mom to tell her.

What was the training like?

Our training, called “Hot Dog High,” is two weeks long and held in Madison. All 12 of us train together as a class, learning everything that it takes to be a Frankfurter, including media training and how to drive and maintain the vehicle.

How has the job been so far?

This job has been everything I expected and more. The last two months have changed my life. For a woman usually of many words, I don’t have to words to explain how grateful I am for this opportunity. Every day I wake up so excited to go to work. My co-pilot and I are assigned to the central U.S. region for the first six months of our tour, so we have been from Michigan to Iowa to Tennessee to Colorado with many more states in the lineup.

I get to travel the country spreading miles of smiles along the way with a 27-foot-long hot dog. This job teaches you so much about yourself. It also is a great professional development position, helping you develop so many skills and putting you on a cross-country networking tour.

What have been some of your favorite locations you’ve stopped at?

I have loved every city we’ve been in for very different reasons. I think Lincoln, NE, Davenport, IA, and Nashville, TN have been some of the highlights so far! In my first six weeks I went to 10 different states!

What’s your favorite part about the job?

We love hearing the “I remember when…” memories from our fans. They’ll share so many stories of their family and friends, and you really get to know the people in the communities that you’re visiting. Hearing how the Frankmoblie and Wienermobile have impacted so many lives makes me feel a huge sense of responsibility and pride to be one of the few that keeps it on the road.

What’s the most surprising part about the job?

How powerful the Frankmobile is. I knew that people get excited when they see the big hot dog on wheels, but actually witnessing the excitement, joy and magic that happens every single day because of this vehicle has been staggering in the best way.

My trip to the store to get groceries could be the most life-changing experience for someone, just because they got to see the Frankmobile. The sheer magnitude of influence that our vehicle has on the public has been an overwhelming amazing experience to be a part of.

What is your advice to others hoping to one day become a Frankfurter?

Just go for it and be yourself! Frankfurters are real, genuine, adaptable, hard-working people who have a taste for adventure and a passion for people. Other than that, there really is no cookie-cutter Frankfurter or Hotdogger. Your unique self is enough to bring to the table.

Learn as much as you can about the program, embrace who you are, and chat with current and past Frankfurters and Hotdoggers to hear their stories and learn what life on the hot dog highways is like.

Use the Fleishman Center to help you prepare for the entire application process. They are a huge reason why I’m in this role right now. We need more Bearcat Frankfurters!

Fun facts from Chloe:

• More people have been to outer space than have driven the Frankmobile/Wienermobile.
• The first vehicle was created in 1936 by Oscar Mayer’s nephew, Carl Mayer. I met Carl’s grandchildren at the Mayer family reunion in Colorado Springs!
• I got to drive the Frankmobile at the Indy Speedway.
• I gave singer Ben Rector a ride in the Frankmobile around downtown Nashville.