How Pink's and blue mesh without clashing

As one of Los Angeles's most iconic landmarks, Pink's Hot Dogs is no stranger to celebrity visits. Even so, owner Richard Pink still remembers the call he got the day Fernando Valenzuela turned up for a bite.

"My staff called me, and they said, 'Fernando is here. He's here, and everyone is crowded around him,'" Pink remembers. Valenzuela signed autographs while waiting in line for his order. "He was one of the great icons of our city," Pink says.

Pink's has seen Dodgers fans not just through Fernandomania but across all the team's eras since the club relocated from Brooklyn in 1958. Richard Pink's parents founded the restaurant in 1939. Then, it was just a hot dog cart at La Brea and Melrose. They purchased it with a $15 loan from his grandmother and powered it using an extension cord running from the house of a helpful neighbor. The family has since turned those humble beginnings into an L.A. institution adored by celebrities and athletes.

"Shaq has a hot dog named after him, he likes Pink's," says Pink. The former Lakers star has even hired Pink's to cater a few of his parties.

Still, there's always one group of athletes who are hard to crack: the Dodgers. The restaurant proudly supports them - even going as far as to donate $2,500 to the Dodgers Foundation this postseason. Pink's has also whipped up a special Blues Dog, priced at $7.17, a symbolic number that represents the team's seven World Series titles and Shohei Ohtani's number. The roadside spot also changed its iconic pink design to Dodger blue for the World Series.

Even so, many individual Dodgers have been careful not to make a political misstep when it comes to eating at Pink's. The Dodgers have their own branded hot dogs to think about. Pink remembers asking legendary broadcaster Vin Scully to come down to the stand for a hot dog and hearing something like, "I don't think I can do it - we've got Dodger Dogs. I don't want to get them mad at me."

It was college baseball players in Southern California who'd go on record about their love for Pink's. This hot dog farm system eventually paid off for the restaurant's 80th anniversary when it welcomed then-Dodger Justin Turner, a former Cal State Fullerton player, to serve hot dogs alongside his wife. "He came without his beard, and we didn't recognize him at all," Pink says. Pink has since returned the favor by personally supporting Turner's charity. "He feeds a lot of homeless people in downtown L.A.," Pink adds.

Pink can always tell how the Dodgers are doing by the lineup outside the restaurant. "Pink's is a stopover before and after Dodgers games," he says. "Every game, people have their Dodgers gear on, and they're getting their Pink's fix." This season, he was reminded of the crowds during "Fernandomania" as Japanese Dodgers fans began showing up for the Pink's experience on game days. "Fernandomania was a lot like what Ohtani is now," he says.

"When Ohtani played for the Angels, I didn't see anywhere near the number of Japanese customers as I now have. Half the people in line are Japanese, and they're on their way to the game. They take a picture of an Ohtani pin-up on our wall," Pink says.

In Pink's mind, hot dogs and baseball will always go hand in hand. "Hot dogs are part of going to a baseball game," he says. "It's just made its way into the way you think of American food. Baseball is played every day during the season. It's hard to avoid turning open the sports pages and seeing baseball. And everybody wants a hot dog to be part of their baseball experience."

Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.