About Me
1882 - Nathan Handwerker, founder of Nathan's Famous, was born in Poland on July 14, 1882.
1912 - Nathan emigrates to the United States, where he begins to work in the kitchen of Feltman's restaurant in Coney Island, NY.
1916 - Nathan's begins serving Coca Cola. Today, Nathan's holds the distinction of being Coca Cola's longest chain customer.
1916 - According to legend, on July 4, 1916, four European immigrants hold an impromptu hot dog eating contest to settle an argument about patriotism. It is decided that whoever can eat the most Nathan's hot dogs is clearly the most American. Irish immigrant James Mullen wins the contest by eating 13 Nathan's hot dogs in buns in 12 minutes, beginning an annual tradition that survives to this day.
1916 - To open his hot dog stand, Nathan borrowed 300 dollars from his friends Jimmy Durante and Eddie Cantor, all of who worked at Feltman's restaurant. They urged him to sell his hot dogs for 5 cents, half the price of the competition.
1916 - Nathan Handwerker opens his hot dog stand on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, New York. Nathan uses a special hot dog recipe developed by his wife Ida's grandmother. In an effort to keep the recipe secret, Nathan hires two spice providers, each developing half of the famous recipe.
1918 - Legendary gangster and Brooklyn native Al Capone visited Nathan's repeatedly during his jaunts around Coney Island. Capone's love for his hometown hot dog never faded, and he visited the restaurant whenever his travels brought him back to Brooklyn.
1920 - Nathan Handwerker invents a roll cutting machine for his store, an innovation inspired by his years as a roll slicer at Feltman's.
1921 - Murray Handwerker, son of Nathan Handwerker was born in Coney Island in 1921.
1924 - Archie Leach, later to become one of the world's most loved actors under the name Cary Grant, wore a sandwich board advertising the Coney Island SteepleChase. The young man became fast friends with Nathan and the two remained close throughout their lives. In 1952, while filming 'Monkey Business' in Hollywood, Grant sent Nathan a telegram stating simply: 'Wish I were in Coney stop. Miss the hot dogs stop.'
1933 - Nathan serves free beer at his restaurant to celebrate the end of Prohibition.
1939 - President Franklin Delano Roosevelt serves Nathan's Famous hot dogs to the king and queen of England, weekend guests at his Hyde Park residence.
1946 - Nathan's introduces seafood products at its famous clam bar, as the restaurant expanded significantly in size.
1952 - Nathan's Famous sponsors Coney Island Baseball League, Sandy Koufax is one of the league's stars.
1956 - Nathan's opened its second restaurant in Oceanside, Long Island. Murray Handwerker, the son of Nathan Handwerker, had convinced his father to have Nathan's migrate to Long Island as so many other Brooklynites were doing at the time.
1965 - Nathan's opened its third restaurant in Yonkers, NY. Nathan's replaced a well-known food service amusement entity by the name of Adventures Inn.
1969 - Nelson Rockefeller, Governor of New York, visits Nathan's on the campaign trail. Rockefeller states: 'No man can hope to get elected in New York State, without being photographed eating hot dogs at Nathan's Famous.'
1970 - Nathan's Famous first becomes a public company. The proceeds were used to open Nathan's fourth restaurant in Times Square, New York City. The Nathan's restaurant occupied a space that formerly housed the famed Toffinetti's Restaurant.
1974 - Nathan Handwerker dies at the age of 82.
1975 - Nathan's acquires the Wetsons hamburger chain, which comprised approximately 70 locations in the greater New York metropolitan area. Many Wetsons were soon converted to become small Nathan's restaurants.
1977 - Barbara Streisand requests that Nathan's Famous hot dogs, corn beef, and other deli items be shipped to London for a private party.
1981 - Nathan's opened its first restaurant in an enclosed shopping center within the Kings Plaza Mall in Brooklyn.
1988 - Nathan's proprietary, hot dog nuggets are first introduced system wide.
1991 - Nathan's opens its first outlet within an airport as Host Marriott operated a newly designed Nathan's kiosk concept at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. To date, Nathan's hot dogs are served in 52 airports.
1992 - Nathan's Franksters were born. New Nathan's Franksters appear each year to delight children as part of Nathan's kids' meal program.
1994 - Nathan's opens its first restaurant within a Home Depot improvement center.
1994 - Mike 'The Scholar' DeVito reunifies the three hot dog eating champion belts by beating Japanese eating phenomenon Orio Ito in a special one-on-one contest under the Brooklyn Bridge. DeVito's victory brings back the coveted Mustard Yellow International Champion belt to American soil after an estimated 20-year absence.
1995 - Nathan's proprietary, fresh-squeezed lemonade is first introduced system wide.
1996 - In a shocking upset, Ed 'The Animal' Krachie, holder of the world record in hot dog eating (22 - 1/2 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes) loses the mustard belt to Hirofumi Nakajima, a 134-pound noodle-eating champion from Japan.
1992 - A trip to Coney Island for a Nathan's hot dog and a ride on the Cyclone is the focus of a half-hour episode of Seinfeld, the sitcom created by Queens comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
1998 - Nathan's commences its hot dog branded-product program whereby food service operators serve Nathan's hot dogs as a branded product on their menus. Today, there are more than 900 such locations.
1999 - Nathan's acquires Miami Subs Corporation.
1999 - Nathan's acquires Kenny Rogers Roasters.
1999 - Nathan's opened its first restaurant in the Middle East.
1999 - New York City Mayor Rudy Guliani declares Nathan's the world's best hot dogs in a special gathering in the Blue Room in City Hall.
2000 - Website launched May 1st, 2000.
2000 - Nathan's becomes the official hot dog of the New York Yankees
2004 - Nathan's launches Nathan's Famous Online. Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, Food Favorites and authentic merchandise is made available for online ordering. For the first time ever, Nathan's lovers around the world can order their Coney Island favorites delivered directly to their homes and work places.
