Nathan's Famous facts for kids
Company logo
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The original Coney Island branch of Nathan's Famous
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: NATH Russell 2000 component |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1916 in Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Founder | Nathan Handwerker Ida Handwerker |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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198 (January 2022) |
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Area served
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United States, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates |
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Key people
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Howard M. Lorber (Executive Chairman) Eric Gatoff (Chief Executive Officer) Wayne Norbitz (President and Chief Operating Officer) |
| Products | Hot dogs, hamburgers, cheesesteaks, onion rings, meatball heros, chicken, milkshakes |
| Services | Fast-food restaurants Retail brand Franchising |
| Revenue |  US$103.325 million (FY 2020) |
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Operating income
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 US$27.172 million (FY 2020) |
| US$13.435 million (FY 2020) |
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| Total assets | US$105.282 million (FY 2020) |
| Total equity | US$-66,401 million (FY 2020) |
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Number of employees
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13,044 (2021) |
Nathan's Famous, Inc. is an American company famous for its fast-food restaurants, especially its delicious hot dogs. The very first Nathan's restaurant is still open today in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. The company's main office is located in Jericho, New York.
Contents
History of Nathan's Famous
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Nathan's started as a small hot dog stand in Coney Island in 1916. It was founded by Nathan Handwerker and his wife, Ida Handwerker. Ida created the special hot dog recipe, and her grandmother made the secret spice mix.
Nathan Handwerker was an immigrant from Poland. He came to New York City in 1912 and worked at a restaurant called Feltman's German Gardens. Nathan and Ida used all their savings, about $300 (which would be around $7,000 today), to open their own hot dog stand.
Nathan sold his hot dogs for five cents, which was half the price Feltman's charged. To show people his hot dogs were safe and clean, he had men dressed in surgeon's coats eat at his stand. This made customers feel good about buying his food. The business quickly became very popular!
Growing the Business
Nathan's son, Murray Handwerker, helped the company grow. New Nathan's restaurants opened in Oceanside in 1959 and Yonkers in 1965. In 1968, Murray became the president, and Nathan's Famous became a public company, meaning people could buy shares in it.
In 1987, the Handwerker family sold the company. After that, many more Nathan's restaurants opened in New York City and other places.
By 2001, Nathan's had many locations. This included company-owned restaurants, franchised places (where others run a Nathan's business), and over 1,400 stores that sold Nathan's products. These were in all 50 U.S. states and 17 other countries.
Nathan's Famous also made a deal with Major League Baseball in 2017. This made Nathan's the official hot dog brand of the league. You can often find Nathan's hot dogs in grocery stores too, usually in the lunch meat section. Most Nathan's hot dogs are made by Smithfield Foods.
The Original Nathan's Location
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The first Nathan's hot dog stand from 1916 is still open today in Coney Island! It used to be open every single day of the year. However, it had to close on October 29, 2012, because of Hurricane Sandy. The shop reopened six months later, in May 2013.
During the summer, extra windows open up to serve the many visitors. The original location is special because it still sells fried frog legs, which have been on the menu since the 1950s. You won't find these at other Nathan's restaurants. There is also a second, smaller Nathan's nearby on the Coney Island boardwalk.
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
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Every year on the 4th of July, Nathan's hosts a famous Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at its original Coney Island location. In this contest, people try to eat as many hot dogs and buns as they can in 10 minutes!
Some famous winners include Takeru Kobayashi (who won six times) and Joey Chestnut (who has won many times). In 2018, Joey Chestnut set a new world record by eating 74 hot dogs and buns!
See also
- Coney Island hot dog
- Kosher style
- List of hot dog restaurants
