Grab your ketchup and mustard, and stick with us as we count down the Top 10 Untold Truths
of Nathan’s Famous!
A Family Business
Nathan’s Famous first began as a nickel hot dog stand in Coney Island in 1916. It
was started by Nathan Handwerker—who the business is named after—and his wife, Ida.
It was Ida’s grandmother who created the secret spice recipe that gives the hot dogs
their signature flavor. With a loan of $300, the first Nathan’s Famous was opened at
the corner of Surf and Stillwell, where, today, their annual Hot Dog Eating Contest takes
place. The expansion was later overseen by Nathan’s two sons, Murray and Sol. Unfortunately,
they didn’t see eye to eye on how to run the business, and Sol left Nathan’s Famous
to start his own hot dog shop in 1963. Nathan took the conflict between his sons hard and
passed away in 1974, never seeing them reconcile. Murray continued to run affairs at Nathan's, opening
a second branch a couple of years later on Long Beach Road and a third in Yonkers a little
after that. Business was thriving and Murray was eventually named president of the company
in 1968, the year it went public. All locations were then sold to a group of private investors
in 1987 and Nathan’s Famous was franchised.
Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contests
In case you didn’t already know, every year on July 4th, Nathan’s hosts an annual hot
dog eating contest. Rumor has it that the very first one was held on Independence Day
in 1916 when four immigrants decided to settle an argument over who was the most patriotic.
The winner scarfed down 13 hot dogs in 12 minutes. There’s a bit of a weird debate
about this story because, in 2010, promoter Mortimer Matz admitted to making up the story
in the 70s to create publicity for Nathan’s Famous. Nathan’s was quick to shut down
this claim, calling Matz a liar and saying that he never even worked for them. Regardless
of its origins, today, Joey Chestnut is the reigning champion of Nathan’s Famous annual
Hot Dog Eating Contest for his record of 75 hot dogs in 10 minutes. (13 just doesn't have
the same lustre now, does it?) Turns out, Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest is
actually pretty famous. Every year, it draws in over a million viewers. Unsurprisingly,
watching somebody inhale 75 hot dogs in mere minutes is quite the show. In terms of a live
audience, Coney Island draws in about 30,000 to 40,000 people to watch the whole thing
go down. Around 1,700 hot dogs are prepared for the contest but that’s nothing compared
to the thousands of hot dogs they sell to spectators at the event. Talk about selling
like hotcakes—or, rather, selling like hot dogs!
Hot Dog Contest Stars
As far as hot dog eating goes, Joey Chestnut is a pretty big deal. Since 2007, he’s won
the Mustard Yellow Belt - the highest prize at Nathan’s hot dog eating competition - thirteen
times. He holds the most titles and the current record! In 2020, he beat his own record surpassing
the 74 hot dogs he downed in 2018. Joey Chestnut is actually ranked the No. 1 competitive eater
in the world - and yes, that's an actual thing. With stats like 13 pounds of deep-fried asparagus,
47 grilled cheese sandwiches, 25 and a half pounds of poutine, and a whole turkey—all
in ten minutes, it's no wonder he's the champ. He briefly lost his title of hot dog champion
to Matt Stonie in 2015, who beat him 62 hot dogs to 60, but quickly regained it the following
year, and has been on a winning streak ever since. 2011 marked the first all-women’s
contest - aside from a special contest hosted in 1975 on Memorial Day, where a 19-year-old
Brooklyn College student, Martha Rosenbloom, won. Sonya Thomas took the win in 2011 with
40 hot dogs. In case you’re wondering how these numbers are even possible, there are
actually a few different methods professional eaters use. One is called the “Solomon Method”
created by Takeru Kobayashi, which consists of breaking the hot dogs in half, eating both
halves at once, and then the bun. Another, more popular one, is the “dunking” method,
which sounds like what it is. Contestants dip the buns in water and squeeze them out
to help it go down easier. Grossed out yet?
Murray Handwerker Played A Big Role
While Nathan’s original stand did phenomenally well on its own, it’s his son Murray who
can be credited with the expansion of the brand. Although Murray had pretty much been
raised behind the counter of the original store, it wasn’t until after he returned
from WWII in 1946 that he really began to get involved. He introduced shrimp and clams
to the menu, as well as delicatessen items—despite his father’s reservations. It must have
turned out for the better, though, because Murray took over the family business in 1968.
During this time, the younger Handwerker helped his father’s business grow outside of Coney
Island with several company-owned restaurants, as well as multiple franchises. Under Murray’s
leadership, the company published its own cookbook and established a packaged hot dog
business, which went on to become a supermarket staple. Today, there are over 300 Nathan’s
Famous restaurants and their hot dog line is sold in supermarkets across all 50 states.
Celebrity Patrons
Over the years, many well-known people have enjoyed Nathan’s hot dogs. The first of
them was actually one of the men who convinced Nathan Handwerker to branch out on his own.
That was none other than American actor, comedian and singer, Jimmy Durante - and Nathan’s
Famous has been popular among entertainers ever since. Cary Grant used to get the hot
dogs for lunch when he worked on the Coney Island boardwalk before his rise to fame - presumably
for their inexpensive price tag and great taste. Even notorious names like Al Capone
and Bugsy Siegel were said to enjoy them. But Nathan’s Famous dogs weren’t only
popular with actors and gangsters—even Franklin D. Roosevelt was a fan. He served the hot
dogs to Britain’s King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth at an informal picnic
in 1939. It was a bold choice but what better way to represent Americas varying tastes than
the good old fashioned hot dog. Apparently, King George had never had one before but liked
it enough to ask for another. Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin are also mention-worthy
fans of Nathan's Famous hot dogs, as well as the more modern-day star Barbra Streisand,
who once had them shipped all the way to London for a dinner party.
An Imposter Among Us
Although Nathan’s didn't invent the hot dog, they’re still pretty protective over
their brand. Considering that Nathan’s has been around for over a century and generates
about $360 million dollars annually, you can bet they didn’t come here to play around
- at least not with cheaters. In 2018, a former employee, Samir Ibrahim, attempted to steal
the brand’s name. He was apparently fired for failure to meet company standards and
decided to open up his own Manhattan hot dog cart not 13 blocks away from a real Nathan’s
Famous vender. The kicker? It was called “Natten’s Famous Hot Dog”. (Talk about original!)
Of course, the real Nathan’s Famous didn’t tolerate this, and soon after, Samir found
himself in hot legal water. The lawsuit claimed that “He not only copied the name but the
presentation: script lettering, green color, swirl underneath.” Ibrahim was reportedly
unbothered by the lawsuit but did remove the lettering.
They Almost Went Belly Up In The ‘80s
Nathan’s Famous continued on an upward trajectory from when
it first opened until the 1970s when the company’s stocks peaked at $41 dollars a share. Unfortunately,
the market for hot dogs quickly grew stale and, in 1981, their stock fell to a mere $1dollar.
Handwerker stood by his business, selling his tried-and-true hot dogs, and slowly, sales
went back up. In 1986, Nathan’s sold its 20 stores and packaged products business to
investment firm Equicorp for $19 million dollars. Today, the company’s stock is worth about
$57 dollars. If you’re feeling like a bit of a history buff and want to travel to the
original Nathan’s Famous hot dog stand in Coney Island, there are four subway lines
that can take you there. This wasn’t the case when Nathan’s first opened. In case
you forgot just how old the restaurant is, Manhattanites had to take a rail car or steamboat
to get out to Coney Island if they wanted a hot dog in 1916. Luckily, it wasn’t too
long after, in 1920, when the subway system was extended to Coney Island. People were
able to get there much faster than before, which meant a lot more NYC business for Nathan’s.
The business was really booming at this time, with the stand selling a reported 75,000 hot
dogs every weekend to visitors from outside of town.
The Recipe
There’s nothing worse than a favorite food from your childhood tasting different than
how you remember it. If you’ve been a long-time fan of Nathan’s Famous, you’ll know this
is absolutely not the case with their hot dogs. It has remained relatively constant
throughout the years, which means a Nathan's Famous hot dog today is going to taste just
like it did a century ago. Apparently, the flavor is a pretty special formula - and super
top secret. These dogs have a bit of a garlicky flavor which makes them relatively distinct
from the usual taste of other hot dogs. The only change that has been made to the recipe
is that it is now gluten-free, which was miraculously accomplished without altering the original
flavor. Although no one knows much about the secret spices used, we do know that it all
comes together in the company’s Cincinnati plant. Some at-home recipes call for onion,
ketchup, garlic, chili powder, salt, black pepper, cumin, celery salt, and cayenne pepper—but
you can decide for yourself how authentic it tastes! If there’s one place to go for
real, old fashioned-style hot dogs, it’s Nathan’s Famous!
Frogs Legs, Anyone?
Frogs legs at Nathan's Famous? Yep, you heard that right! Of course, the restaurant specializes
in hot dogs, chili dogs, and corn dogs - all the dogs, really - but they’ve also got
a few oddities on the Coney Island location’s menu; one of them being frogs legs. Apparently,
Nathan’s has been serving them since 1958 and they've been popular enough to keep around
on the menu ever since. After all, it’s not every day you see frogs legs on a fast-food
menu. According to a manager, the business sells around a thousand of them every month.
They’re sold in batches of four or six - for $7.99 and $10.99 respectively (they are a
delicacy after all!) - and can be enjoyed with tartar sauce and lemon. Apparently, people
actually go to Nathan’s Famous specifically seeking out the frogs legs. The general consensus
is that they taste like chicken, but some reviews claim they taste more like fish. They
are battered and deep-fried and have to be broken apart like a wishbone to eat (you’re
welcome for that visual). Once they’re broken apart, though, they do resemble slender drumsticks,
so you can pretend you’re eating chicken. If you’ve ever wanted to try amphibian cuisine
outside of a fancy restaurant, Nathan’s might just have to be the next stop on your
list! And, if frogs legs aren’t your thing; no worries! The chain also serves other water-inhabiting
meals such as fish and clams - both of which you can get in a sandwich or as a “fish
and chips” meal. There's also shrimp and chips and a seafood combo.
The stuffed whale incident
This unfortunate stunt was pulled in 1954 when Nathan Handwerker was on vacation in
Miami and left his son Murray in charge of running the store. During this time, Murray
was approached by Leif Saegarrd, a stranger who had somehow acquired an embalmed finback
whale. Saegarrd offered the whale to the younger Handwerker to include as an attraction that
would hopefully draw customers to his stand. Who knows why Murray thought this was a good
idea, but he accepted the offer and, soon, there was a 75 foot-long, 70-ton dead whale
next to his hot dog place. Of course, this was bound to draw attention from people - unfortunately,
it wasn’t the right kind. People were pretty grossed out by the stuffed whale and an inopportune
heatwave caused the whale to rot and stink horribly. Well, people avoided Nathan’s Famous the
way you would avoid a 70-ton rotting whale, and the whale had to be disposed of. In Murray’s
defense, he was still learning the tricks of the trade… Guess you could say it took
guts to do that! (Sorry, too far?) This actually wasn’t the first marketing ploy pulled by
the restaurant. When Nathan’s first opened, Handwerker priced his hot dogs lower than
other hot dog vendors’, which led people to believe they must be of lower quality - or
worse, not up to health codes. In order to combat this perception, Nathan hired men wearing
white jackets to eat hot dogs in front of his stand to draw in “higher class” customers.
People assumed that if doctors were eating them, then they must be good!
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