About Us
The Start,
End and
Revival
of the
Original
Original
Hot dog
The Birth of the Modern American Frankfurter
It all started in 1867 on Coney Island, New York, when Charles Feltman, a German immigrant and baker by trade, invented the first hot dog as a convenient way for beachgoers to enjoy frankfurter sausages on a long sliced bun without the hassle of plates or silverware.
The Birth of the Modern American Frankfurter
It all started in 1867 on Coney Island, New York, when Charles Feltman, a German immigrant and baker by trade, invented the first hot dog as a convenient way for beachgoers to enjoy frankfurter sausages on a long sliced bun without the hassle of plates or silverware.
From Humble Beginnings
First sold along the sand dunes from his converted pie cart, Charles Feltman’s “Coney Island Red Hots” were an instant sensation—and from these humble beginnings grew Feltman’s Ocean Pavilion in Coney Island, which would one day become known as the largest restaurant in the world, serving up to 10,000 guests at once!
Feltman’s Hot Dog Empire
By the 1920s, Feltman’s Ocean Pavilion covered a full city block with nine restaurants, a beer garden, outdoor movie theater, hotel, and even an amusement park! As the world’s largest restaurant at the time, it served more than five million customers a year. Hot dogs were still a feature on the menu--and by now they were selling up to 40,000 a day.
A “Famous” New Competitor on Surf Ave.
Now this is where it gets interesting. Following decades of success, in 1916, a longtime Feltman’s bun slicer named Nathan Handwerker quit and set up a rival hot dog shop nearby, undercutting his former employer. But while Nathan famously tried to claim “the original hot dog” fame, we all know that Feltman’s is really where it all began. (And now you do too!)
Re-Living the American Dream
Today, Feltman’s 100% natural all-beef hot dogs are inspired by Feltman’s original boardwalk sensation: smoked in a snappy natural casing for a juicy explosion of old-world spices and flavors with every bite—with no artificial nitrates or ingredients—just like Charles intended.
Now one of the fastest-growing natural food companies in the U.S. with their critically-acclaimed hot dogs found in more than 3,400 grocery stores from coast to coast (and counting!), Feltman’s continues to inspire families to eat healthier—one hot dog at a time.