Squeeze-In draws big crowd to celebrate 79th year

May 2—SUNBURY — Hundreds of people packed Sunbury's downtown to celebrate The Squeeze-In, which turned 79 years old Wednesday.

The Squeeze-In hosted the five-hour event Wednesday evening which featured free hot dogs, reduced prices, a photo booth, prizes and several other treats for patrons who showed up to celebrate.

Owner Chris Snyder said he was happy to meet with and serve people.

"The Squeeze-In is so happy to be celebrating 79 years of serving delicious hot dogs in Sunbury," he said.

The Squeeze-In, which sits on Market Street, is 8 feet wide and 16 feet long and only has five stools inside.

The popular eatery was purchased by the late Bob Snyder in 2009. Snyder died in June 2022 and his son, Chris Snyder, decided he was going to keep his father's tradition alive.

Bob Snyder would often be seen at The Squeeze-In, sweeping out front, meeting with customers, serving hotdogs through the to-go window, or even showing up at Sunbury City Council meetings to stay in tune with what was happening in Sunbury.

Mayor Josh Brosious said he was proud of the Snyder family and was thrilled to have such an iconic business in the city.

"The Squeeze-In brings a long tradition of community involvement and a great product to the city," he said. "I hope everyone gets the chance to go get some hot dogs and meet with Chris Snyder and talk about that tradition of serving our city residents."

Chris Snyder said he loves hearing stories about people who have visited The Squeeze-In, and then brought their children or grandchildren, or great-grandchildren to enjoy the hotdogs.

City Councilman Jim Eister said he wanted to say thank you to the Snyder family for remaining a part of the community.

"I have been going there since I was a kid," Eister said. "I was 12 years old when I got my first hot dog. I still get my two hot dogs with everything when I stop in. I am happy for them and glad they decided to stay in Sunbury for all this time."