Nathan’s Vows to Reopen!
Nathan’s Famous famous flagship location on Surf Avenue experienced serious flooding during Superstorm Sandy, and it’s been closed ever since—the first time in the company’s history, as far as they know, that it’s been closed in almost 100 years, the Post reports. (You may not have known this, because there aren’t many visitors to the neighborhood during the cold-weather months.) But the company has begun the rebuilding process and vows to reopen by spring—”before the summer season,” according to a statement. The Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, an annual tradition since the 1970s, should proceed as usual.
“Nathan’s grilled dogs — and much of its equipment — ended up under water when the Oct. 29 hurricane hit the Boardwalk,” the Brooklyn Paper recently reported. “The company wouldn’t comment on the extent of the damage, but did say its losses were comparable to other Surf Avenue mainstays, which had fluid from the sewers bubble up into their businesses and destroy their interiors.”
Nathan’s was founded in 1916 by Polish immigrant Nathan Handerwerker, who’d been working at the sausage empire started by Charles Feltman, a German often credited with inventing the hot dog. Handerwerker opened his own stand and charged a nickel to Feltman’s dime; by the 50s, Feltman’s was out of business, and Nathan’s would soon begin expanding into other cities.
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