Nathan’s Famous, the original American hot dog that began on Coney Island and now sells hot dogs and other products throughout the nation and around the world, celebrates its 100th Anniversary in 2016.
Nathan’s Famous was founded in 1916 by Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker, who borrowed $300 to open his hot dog stand at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Nathan’s flagship restaurant still operates in the same location, but the global, publicly traded company now sells more than 500 million hot dogs per year.