The Jewish Immigrant Personified the American Dream With His Hot Dog Brand
Nathan’s Famous is an iconic American franchise that is synonymous with hot dogs and summertime joy. From its annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest to its packaged products that are sold in grocery stores and popular franchise locations, the brand has secured its place in American food culture since the opening of its original location at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island in 1916.
The man behind the brand is Nathan Handwerker, who was born on June 14, 1892, into a poor Jewish family in Galicia, then part of Austria-Hungary (now in present-day Poland). According to his grandson Lloyd Handwerker’s biography “Famous Nathan,” Handwerker was one of 13 children and began working at a young age, apprenticing for his father, a shoemaker, and later working in a bakery and selling produce. At the age of 18, he left home to earn money to travel to America.
Handwerker arrived in New York in 1912 as a functional illiterate with little money, joining millions of immigrants who entered through Ellis Island to pursue the American dream. To support himself, Handwerker held a series of jobs before working at Feltman’s German Gardens in Coney Island, a famous restaurant credited with popularizing the hot dog.
Legends and the Royal Treatment
Entertainers Eddie Cantor and Jimmy Durante encouraged Handwerker to open a competing hot dog stand and sell his franks for 5 cents — half the price of Feltman’s. In 1916, using a $300 loan and his wife’s secret hot dog recipe, Handwerker opened what would become Nathan’s Famous, according to The New York Times.
To alleviate fears that his hot dogs were only 5 cents due to poor quality, Handwerker used a clever bit of showmanship. He hired college students to wear white coats with stethoscopes hanging out of their pockets, while eating the franks, creating the impression that doctors trusted the food, according to The Times.
The stories surrounding Nathan’s only grew more colorful from there. For decades, the company claimed that its famous hot dog eating contest began on July 4, 1916, when four immigrants competed to prove who was the most patriotic. The company later acknowledged that the story was a publicity myth. The first well-documented Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest took place in 1972 and has become a beloved annual tradition.
Nathan’s reputation, however, did not depend on legends alone. The brand received a very real stamp of approval in 1939, when President Franklin Roosevelt served Nathan’s hot dogs to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their visit to the United States.
As Nathan’s fame spread, so did its menu and footprint. Nathan’s eventually expanded its offerings with seafood and opened its well-known clam bar in 1946 before growing beyond Coney Island with additional locations in Oceanside, Yonkers and Times Square over the following decades, according to the hot dog franchise’s official history.
An Enduring Legacy
Handwerker and his wife, Ida (pictured together in the main photo), raised three children — Murray, Sol and Leah. Murray and Sol both worked in the family business, eventually serving as president and vice president, respectively.
Following Handwerker’s death in 1974, the business continued to expand. Its hot dogs entered grocery stores in 1983, and the Handwerker family sold the company to private investors in 1987, paving the way for broader national franchise growth.
Today, the hot dog brand has expanded to more than 220 locations, according to Market Inference. Nathan’s Famous products — including hot dogs, sausages and corned beef — are sold nationwide through grocery stores, restaurants and other retailers. In early 2026, Nathan’s Famous agreed to be acquired by Smithfield Foods for approximately $450 million.
To keep the business model fresh, Nathan’s has expanded its menu to include burgers, chicken, heroes, onion rings, shakes and more. The brand has also modernized its restaurant design.
Pursuing the American Dream
Nathan Handwerker is the epitome of the American dream. He rose from humble beginnings to becoming the founder of an iconic business that is still beloved more than a century after its founding.
That is a story that any aspiring entrepreneur can get behind.
Photo credit: Nathan’s Famous
