Joey Fatone has gone from performing at Universal Studios Florida to opening his very own restaurant at Universal CityWalk.
Fat One’s Hot Dogs & Italian Ice Grand Opening
*NSYNC member Joey Fatone celebrated the grand opening of his restaurant Fat One’s Hot Dogs & Italian Ice at Universal CityWalk on September 19, 2026, and WDWNT was in attendance for the big day and for some jumbo hot dogs. Stay tuned for our reviews!
A large crowd gathered outside the new quick-service venue for its opening-day festivities. The restaurant and surrounding area use a red, black, and white color scheme. Stars, stylized hot dog illustrations, and images of Fatone appear throughout the venue’s branding.
Fatone and business partner Joe Mulvihill, who co-founded the concept, addressed guests from the stage. Fatone wore a branded chef’s coat bearing his first name.
The opening ceremony concluded with a blast of red, black, and white confetti over the stage and assembled crowd.
As part of the celebration, the first 100 guests received wristbands for a complimentary hot dog personally served by Fatone. Universal had encouraged visitors to begin arriving at 10 a.m., with the wristbands distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Naturally, Fatone fans and hot dog-hopefuls lined up well in advance, closer to 9 a.m. and possibly earlier.
Theme park aerial photographer bioreconstruct flew over and took overhead shots of the occasion. The high-altitude angles show the sizable crowd filling the plaza and wrapping around the circular stage before the restaurant began serving guests.
(For a little “Where’s Waldo?” fun, see if you can spot which two WDWNT stars were in attendance for the event.)
Fat One’s Replaces CityWalk’s Hot Dog Hall of Fame
Fat One’s was founded by Fatone and Mulvihill and first opened at The Florida Mall in 2016. After that location closed, the concept continued in food-truck form before finding its new permanent home at Universal CityWalk.
The brand was inspired partly by Fatone’s upbringing in Brooklyn, where hot dogs and Italian ice were familiar neighborhood offerings. The CityWalk restaurant expands on the original concept with nine signature hot dogs developed in collaboration with Universal Orlando’s culinary team.
Fat One’s occupies the former Hot Dog Hall of Fame space across from Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food. Hot Dog Hall of Fame opened with the renovated CityWalk dining district in 2014 and closed in July 2026.
The basic configuration of the location remains recognizable, including its stadium-inspired layout and some of its baseball-themed elements. Fat One’s has distinguished the space with its new branding and a refreshed overall appearance.
Fat One’s Hot Dogs & Italian Ice is now open at Universal CityWalk. Our review of the restaurant’s offerings is coming soon.
Will you try one of its signature hot dogs or Italian ice flavors? Let us know what you think of their menu on social media!
For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.
The post PHOTOS: Grand Opening of Joey Fatone’s Fat One’s Hot Dogs & Italian Ice at Universal CityWalk appeared first on WDW News Today.
