Nathan's Famous

Nathan's Famous, Inc.is an American company that operates a chain offast-food restaurantsspecializing inhot dogs. The original Nathan's restaurant stands at the corner of Surf andStillwell Avenuesin theConey Islandneighborhood ofBrooklyn, New York City. The company's headquarters are at One Jericho Plaza inJericho, part ofOyster Bay, New York.
Nathan's began as a nickel hot dog stand in Coney Island in 1916 and bears the name of its co-founderNathan Handwerker(1892–1974),who started the business with his wife, Ida Handwerker, née Greenwald.Ida created the hot dog recipe they used, and Ida's grandmother created the secret spice recipe.Because Nathan's Famous all-beef hot dogs lacked rabbinic supervision and the meat wasn't kosher, Handwerker coined the term "kosher style" because the hot dogs were not made from pork or horse meat.
Handwerker was aJewish-Polishimmigrant who arrived inNew York Cityin 1912and soon found work at theConey Island,Brooklyn, restaurant Feltman's German Gardens.By one account, he was encouraged by singing waitersEddie CantorandJimmy Duranteto go into business in competition with Feltman's; asUnited Press Internationalnoted in 1974, "There are many stories about Nathan and how the business began, but this is the way he told it..."The company's official history does not mention the future stars' encouragement.Nathan and Ida spent their life savings of $300 (worth about $7,000 as of May 2018, accounting for inflation) to begin the business.
Handwerker undercut Feltman's by charging five cents for a hot dog when his former employer was charging 10 cents.At a time when food regulation was in its infancy and the pedigree of the hot dog particularly suspect, Handwerker ensured that men wearing surgeon's smocks were seen eating at his stand to reassure potential customers.The business proved immensely popular.
The expansion of the chain was overseen by Nathan Handwerker's son,Murray Handwerker.A second branch on Long Beach Road inOceanside, New York, opened in 1959, and another debuted inYonkers, New York, in 1965.  Murray Handwerker was named the president of Nathan's Famous in 1968,the year the company went public.
All locations were sold by the Handwerker family to a group of private investors in 1987,at which point Nathan's was franchised and a great number of establishments were opened around New York City and beyond. In the 1990s, the company acquiredKenny Rogers RoastersandMiami Subs Grill, both of which were later divested.
As of September 2001, the company consisted of 24 company-owned units, 380 franchised or licensed units and more than 1,400 storesin 50 states,Guam, the District of Columbia, and 17 foreign countries, includingKandahar Airfield,Afghanistan.One unit was lost due to the collapse of2 World Trade Centerin the9/11 attacks.
Internationalmaster franchiseagreements were signed (circa2006) with Egypt and Israel.The company also owns the exclusive co-branding rights to theArthur Treacher's Fish and Chipschain.
On March 28, 2017, it was announced that Nathan's Famous had reached a sponsorship deal withMajor League Baseball, allowing the company to market itself as the official hot dog brand of the league. While Nathan's was already the official hot dog brand of theNew York Mets,New York Yankees,Miami Marlins, andSt. Louis Cardinals(the sponsorship does not restrict teams from making similar deals with competitors), the deal marked the first time that Major League Baseball had named an official hot dog sponsor.
Nathan's hot dogs are primarily manufactured by Smithfield Foods,a subsidiary of China's WH Group. Nathan's Hot Dogs can also be found instoresforretailsale, usually in thelunch meataisle.
In 2002,Home Depotand Nathan's terminated a co-locating partnership which offered Nathan's space within certain Home Depot stores in New York.
As of 2023, the original Nathan's hot dog stand still exists at its original 1916 site.Having been open for business every day, 365 days a year, the stand was forced to close on October 29, 2012, due toHurricane Sandy. The shop re-opened six months later, on May 21,despite a small fire on May 4, 2013.Service is provided year-round inside, and during the summer additional walk-up windows are opened to serve the larger seasonal crowds.  The original location still features friedfrog legs, which have been a Nathan's menu item since the 1950s.  It is not offered at any other Nathan's locations. Nathan's also operates a second, smaller location nearby on theConey Island boardwalk.
TheNathan's Hot Dog Eating Contesthas been held annually at the original location on Coney Island since the early 1970s on the4th of July.Contestants try to consume as many hot dogs as possible in 10 minutes. Winners includeTakeru Kobayashi(2001–2006),Joey Chestnut(2007–2014, 2016–2023) andMiki Sudo(women's 2014–2018).In 2008, Chestnut tied Kobayashi after eating 59 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. The tie resulted in a five hot dog eat-off, which Chestnut won by consuming all five before Kobayashi.In 2018, Chestnut consumed 74 hot dogs and buns for a new world record.