Nick Tahou Hots facts for kids

Nick Tahou Hots is a famous restaurant in Rochester, New York. It's super well-known for a special dish called the Garbage Plate. The restaurant started way back in 1918. It was founded by Alex Tahou, and later named after his son, Nick Tahou. Nick ran the place for many years until 1997. Even today, the restaurant is still owned by the Tahou family! Nick Tahou's is the original home of the "Garbage Plate," and they even have it trademarked.

What is the Garbage Plate?

An authentic Garbage Plate from Nick Tahou Hots

The most famous dish at Nick Tahou Hots is the Garbage Plate. It's a big meal with lots of different foods piled together. You usually get a mix of home fries, macaroni salad, baked beans, and French fries. On top of these, you choose your favorite meats. Some popular choices are hamburgers, hot dogs, or even grilled cheese.

You can add toppings like mustard, chopped onions, ketchup, and the restaurant's special hot sauce. It also comes with bread and butter. Most people mix everything together before they start eating. It's a unique and filling meal! The dish was first created with two hamburger patties and side dishes.

Many other restaurants in the Rochester area have tried to make their own versions of the plate. They often have similar names, like "The Hot Plate" or "Sloppy Plate." But Nick Tahou's is the original!

Helping Others with the Garbage Plate

Nick Tahou's Garbage Plate

Students from the University of Rochester's Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity hold a special event every year. It's called the "Garbage Plate Run." This race helps raise money for charity.

Here's how it works:

• Three team members participate.
• The first person runs about 2.2 miles to Nick Tahou's restaurant.
• The second person quickly eats a whole Garbage Plate.
• The third person then runs back to the university campus.

There's also an "Ironman" version where one person tries to do all three parts alone! All the money raised from this event goes to the Mount Hope Family Center. This center helps families in need.

Nick Tahou's in the Media

Nick Tahou Hots

Nick Tahou Hots and its famous Garbage Plate have been featured in many TV shows and magazines.

• It appeared on Food Network's Unwrapped and The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
• The Travel Channel featured it on Chowdown Countdown and Man v. Food Nation.
• Even famous people have talked about it! Jon Stewart mentioned it on The Daily Show.
• In the 2012 movie The Place Beyond the Pines, the Garbage Plate was called a "must-have" dish.
• YouTubers like Jenna Marbles and Andrew Rea (from Binging with Babish) have made videos about it.
• Comedian Jim Gaffigan enjoyed a Garbage Plate and talked about it on Conan.

The dish has also been written about in major newspapers and food magazines. These include The New York Times, Saveur, and Food & Wine.

Other Locations Over Time

Formerly the Rochester terminal of the Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway on Main Street West (Now part of NY Route 33) at Oak Street, today the Nick Tahou restaurant (circa 1900)

For many years, there were two Nick Tahou Hots restaurants in Rochester. The main one was downtown on West Main Street. Another location was on Lyell Avenue in Gates.

In 2007, the Lyell Avenue location changed its name to Steve T. Hots and Potatoes. It is now owned by Steve Tahou and Joanne Tahou-Demkou, who are Nick's brother's children. This location is open 24 hours a day. The original downtown restaurant still uses the "Nick Tahou" and "Garbage Plate" names.

There was also a Nick Tahou's in Oswego, New York, for a short time in the 1990s. Another location opened in Henrietta, New York, in 2010 but closed a few years later in 2014.

See also

In Spanish: Garbage plate para niños