# National Coney Island

National Coney Island is a chain of restaurants specializing in All-American classics, particularly known for its Coney Island-style hot dogs. Founded in Roseville, Michigan, the chain has 20 locations across Metro Detroit. It is a corporation with 20 National Coney Island locations in the Metro Detroit area.

## History

Founded by Greek immigrant James Giftos in 1965, the first National Coney Island opened in Macomb Mall in Roseville, Michigan. The menu was simple and included Coney Island hot dogs, loose hamburgers, and chili, all advertised on hand-painted wooden menu boards, for $0.35 cents per hot dog.
It expanded in the late 1960s, with new outlets in St. Clair Shores (1969) and Detroit (1971). The 1980s and 1990s saw significant growth, with the restaurant chain reaching 11 locations. With increasing success, Giftos began to diversify the menu to appeal to families, updated the decor, and introduced unique elements like drive-thrus and the sale of beer and wine at some locations.

## Menu

The core of National Coney Island's menu remains the Coney Island hot dog, but it has expanded to include a variety of items. Most famously, the “Hani”: a chicken-finger pita, which National Coney Island offers in different variants with different kinds of sauces and cheese. A regular hani special contains American and Swiss cheese, while a southwest hani uses pepperjack cheese and chipotle sauce. Another popular item on the National Coney Island menu is the Mr. Pop Burger. This burger is named by the company mascot, Mr. Pop. The burger is made up of sourdough bread, a 1/3 lb. patty, lettuce, tomato, red onion, 1000 island dressing, and pickles on the side. National Coney Island produces its own chili. The chili is available cooked and ready for the customers or frozen and sold separately. The chili is often sold within a Coney Kit as well. This kit contains a brick of chili, two dozen frozen hot dogs, two dozen buns, a bowl of onions, and a bottle of mustard. Other items on the menu include French fries, mozzarella sticks, soups and salads, and a various list of burgers and sandwiches.

## Locations

National Coney Island locations are primarily located on the East side of Michigan, with restaurants in: Grosse Pointe/Detroit, Clinton Twsp, Rochester Hills, Groesbeck, Van Dyke/Jimmy's, 11 Mile and Gratiot, DTW Evans Terminal, 8 Mile and Harper, Shelby Twsp, Masonic, Royal Oak, Hall Road, Southfield, and Fraser. Under the direction of Tom Giftos Junior, Giftos’s son, the chain is shifting toward “express” style National Coney Islands, targeting expansions in airports, stadiums, and colleges. The corporate business plans on expanding the company at least two units per year, and these locations range in size from 6,000 to 9,000 square feet. Several stores also contain a drive-thru. The corporate headquarters is located in Roseville, which is where the first National Coney Island was established.
The I-696 (11 Mile Road)/Gratiot Avenue Roseville store has an interior wall mural that echoes the style and is an homage of the Diego Rivera Detroit Industry Murals that is in the Rivera Court of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Instead of producing cars on an assembly line, chili hot dogs are a depicted as a work in progress. It implicitly depicts the change of the economy from manufacturing to a service economy. The underlying real life irony is that the headquarters/plant of National Coney Island, went from an auto parts manufacturer to producing hot dog and chili product for the chain.