When is a hot dog more than just a hot dog?

Hello again!

I hope everyone reading had a nice Thanksgiving, and that if you did the cooking, everything went as planned.

The first few days of December will bring excitement for fans of one of the Shore's oldest restaurants. Max's Bar & Grill (formerly Max's Famous Hot Dogs) in Long Branch will be featured on Monday's episode of "Kitchen Nightmares" on FOX, featuring celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

The city was abuzz this summer when Ramsay taped an episode of the restaurant renovation show at Jennifer Maybaum's long-running family restaurant. Ahead of the air date, I spoke with Maybaum, whose grandfather started Max's Famous Hot Dogs as a boardwalk hot dog cart in 1928.

Like owners of other local restaurants who have been featured on television have told me, Maybaum shared that being a part of this kind of show doesn't always go as one hopes — or as promised. Family skirmishes are embellished, employee issues magnified, and restaurant "guests" who are invited for the big reveal can be swayed to say one thing or another.

My interview with Jen publishes Monday at app.com, and the episode will air at 8 p.m. Check it out, then consider visiting for a hot dog — it just might help Max's reach its centennial in a few years.

Tired of tipping?

When I was a younger, I worked a number of food service jobs.

I waitressed. I scooped ice cream. I made breakfast sandwiches. As a server, tips were expected — they were part of my pay. If a customer put their change into the tip jar at the ice cream shop, it was appreciated but certainly not expected. (I won't lie, though — a banana split always warrants a tip!)

These days, tips are requested for more services than ever before, like at the frozen yogurt shop, where I help myself, or the bakery, where a muffin is placed in a bag. According to a Pew research study, around seven in 10 adults say that tipping is expected in more places today than it was five years ago.

For a statewide story, we want to hear your thoughts. Is all this tipping annoying? Do you stress out when a cashier turns that ipad your way? (I do.) Does every single person deserve a tip for performing the most basic of work functions? Let me know what you think: email sgriesemer@gannettnj.com.

Quick bites

• Craving something different for breakfast? Pop's Corner, which opened this summer on Arnold Avenue in Point Pleasant Beach, is serving dishes like breakfast nachos with chorizo, scrambled eggs and bacon bits; a smoked pastrami omelet; pancake sliders; and a breakfast meat sampler. They also have a cute market and coffee shop.

• Happy hour on a Sunday? You read that right. Salt Creek Grille in Rumson has added happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Weekday hours are from 4 to 6 p.m.

• Parmagianni, a vegan pizza pop-up, will take place from 3 to 8 p.m. Dec. 3 at Dale & Dollops in Ocean Grove. Choose from Caesar, barbecue cauliflower, and pickle pizzas, or one topped with tomato sauce. Reserve your pie at parmagiannipizza.com.

• Broad Street Dough Co., a Monmouth County-based donut shop known for its brightly colored, made-to-order donuts, is featured on "Schmoozing and Cruising," a kosher-focused food show on the streaming network ChaiFlicks. Watch a trailer here, and find more information at chaiflicks.com.

That is all for this week! I am still seeking holiday cookie recipes, if you have one to share, and for more food content, visit app.com and follow Jersey Shore Eats on Instagram and Facebook.

Sarah Griesemer is a food writer for The Asbury Park Press and app.com. For more on where to eat and drink, please consider a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: When is a hot dog more than just a hot dog?