The hot dog is an American institution right up there with baseball and apple pie. The quintessential American hot dog is undoubtedly Nathan’s Famous. While everyone knows the delicious flavor that allowed Nathan’s to earn its ‘Famous’ moniker, not everyone knows the colorful history that makes Nathan’s so quintessentially American.
Nathan’s was founded by Jewish immigrant Nathan Handwerker, who had come to New York City from eastern Europe in 1912, and his wife Ida. After working at a Coney Island, Brooklyn restaurant that served hot dogs for 10 cents, he opened his own hot dog stand on the corner of Surf and Stillwell, selling hot dogs cooked with Ida’s secret recipe for 5 cents each. This original location, which still stands today, opened in 1916, and is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.
Nathan’s obviously has a long history in New York, and it’s also begun to enjoy a long history with CHI. For ten years now Nathan’s has been welcoming international Work & Travel participants every summer to help with the seasonal crowds. Nathan’s welcomes about 20 students each summer from all over the world. This year, participants were mostly from the Dominican Republic. They work as cooks, cashiers, and man the extra walk-up windows that are opened during the summer months.
In addition to working at Nathan’s, the participants are able to enjoy all the fun that Coney Island has to offer. They can stroll the boardwalk, check out a Minor League Baseball game, play in the ocean, and even visit the New York Aquarium. All of this is just a few blocks away. They also enjoy meeting local New Yorkers as well as the many tourists that visit Nathan’s each year.
Here’s to another hundred years of Nathan’s on Coney Island, and here’s to many more successful years of partnership between Nathan’s and CHI!
