Nathan's Famous history

A Polish-Jewish immigrant, Nathan started a humble hot dog stand on Coney Island back in 1916.

While working at Nathan’s, she entered a magazine contest where she was discovered and went on to be the “It Girl” of the 1920’s silent films.

Feltman’s was a complete amusement paradise, often catering to the upper class, whereas Nathan’s was a place to grab a quick, tasty, and affordable bite. It should be noted, though, that Feltman’s lasted until 1954, so it’s not quite fair to say that Nathan’s put it out of business, but rather that it outlasted it as a very different type of establishment.

In 1962, Dewey Albert and his son Jerry bought the site and transformed it into the Astroland Park, home to the famous Coney Island Cyclone.

Murray Handwerker was named the president of Nathan's Famous in 1968, the year the company went public.

All locations were sold by the Handwerker family to a group of private investors in 1987, at which point Nathan's was franchised and a great number of establishments were opened around New York City and beyond.

Nathan's also had ten outlets in airports, 19 in highway travel plazas, and six in gas stations by the end of 1994.

In 1996 the company signed another license agreement with Gold's Pure Food Products Co Inc. to distribute Nathan's mustard and salsa in New York area stores.

Attracted by the low-capital, low-hassle terms of the program, more than 250 new outlets had begun offering Nathan's products by the end of 1998.

Also in 1999, the company entered into an agreement to purchase Miami Subs Corp., a chain of 194 owned and franchised restaurants.

As it readied to move into the year 2000, Nathan's held out great hope for its Branded Product program, believing that there was a vast, yet untapped opportunity for growth in that area.

Sadly, Astroland ceased operations in 2008, and two years later, the last remaining structure of Feltman’s, the kitchen, was torn down.

Having been open for business every day, 365 days a year, the stand was forced to close on October 29, 2012, due to Hurricane Sandy.

The shop re-opened six months later, on May 21, despite a small fire on May 4, 2013.

In 2015, he started a pop-up Feltman’s that moved around the city.

On March 28, 2017, it was announced that Nathan's Famous had reached a sponsorship deal with Major League Baseball, allowing the company to market itself as the official hot dog brand of the league.

Nathan and Ida spent their life savings of $300 (worth about $7,000 as of May 2018, accounting for inflation) to begin the business.