WARNER ROBINS - At a few restaurants in Warner Robins, one of the country's best hot dogs has been passed over for a plumper, upstart pup. <br>
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Earlier this month, Nu-Way Weiner officials pulled its franchise from three restaurants operated by Spurgeon Rutland and ordered him to vacate one of the restaurants - which the company owns - by early next month. <br>
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Rutland said, ``I wasn't happy with their product, and they weren't satisfied with everything I was doing.'' <br>
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The Nu-Way signs have disappeared from the three restaurants, which remain open. <br>
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What some have described as the ``Warner Robins Wiener War'' has erupted not over the quality of a Macon specialty that has been served since 1916, but over the details of a franchise agreement. <br>
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Officials from Nu-Way Weiners say Rutland did not adhere to terms of a franchise agreement. <br>
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The Nu-Way Weiner has few peers, according to the New York Times, which selected it in July as one of the 12 best hot-dog restaurants in the country. <br>
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The business was founded in Macon in 1916 by a Greek immigrant who moved from New York City. The dogs are famous for their bright red color because of a dye in the casing.