Nathan Handwerker (June 14, 1892 – March 24, 1974)Nathan Handwerker
at the United States Social Security Death Index via FamilySearch.org. Retrieved on July 24, 2015. was the founder of an iconic

hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...

stand that evolved into Nathan's Famous restaurants and related ''Nathan's'' retail product line. An immigrant from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, he and his wife Ida used $300 to start their business on

Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...

in 1916. As of 2016, Nathan's operates over 400 company owned and franchised restaurants in all 50 states and 17 foreign countries, and Nathan's brand products are found in some 45,000 stores across the United States.

Biography

Handwerker was born in Galicia,Nathan Handwerker, 2003 interview in a former kingdom and constituent part of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

in the partitioned Poland under the Austrian rule that roughly spanned the contemporary

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

border. One of 13 children of a poor

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

shoemaker, he immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1912. Handwerker found work as a delivery boy and later obtained a job slicing

bread roll A bread roll is a small, oblong individual loaf of bread served as a meal accompaniment (eaten plain or with butter). Rolls can be served and eaten whole or are also commonly cut and filled – the result of doing so is considered a '' sandwic ...

s at Feltman's German Gardens, a restaurant in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. The restaurant sold franks (hot dogs) for 10 cents each. By one account, Handwerker was encouraged by singing waiters

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...

and

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side New York accent, accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

to go into business in competition with Feltman's; as

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

noted in 1974, "There are many stories about Nathan and how the business began, but this is the way he told it..." The company's official history does not mention the encouragement of those two entertainers. Nathan and Ida spent their life savings of $300 to begin the business. One story claims that to help build his savings faster, Handwerker's only meals were the hot dogs that he could eat at work for free. In 1916 Handwerker and his new wife, Ida Handwerker, opened a small hot dog stand with a two-foot grill on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island. Abstract of subscription article. Note: Source gives age as 83, although Handwerker in ''Famous Nathan'' documentary gives his birth year as 1892, which agrees with June 14, 1892, birth date at the Social Security Death Index. They spiced their hot dogs with Ida's secret recipe and sold them for a nickel. Handwerker named his previously unnamed hot dog stand Nathan's Hot Dogs in 1921 after Sophie Tucker, then a singer at the nearby Carey Walsh's Cafe, made a hit of the song "Nathan, Nathan, Why You Waitin?" The food stand developed into the fast food chain Nathan's Famous, spearheaded by his son, Murray Handwerker. On March 23, 1974, Nathan Handwerker suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

at his home in North Port Charlotte, Florida. He died March 24, 1974, per differing accounts at either St. Joseph's Hospital in Port Charlotte, Florida, or at Sarasota General Hospital, in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

. He was buried at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in

Glendale, Queens Glendale is a neighborhood in the west-central portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. It is bounded by Forest Hills, Queens, Forest Hills to the east, Ridgewood, Queens, Ridgewood to the west, Woodhaven, Queens, ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. In 2014, ''Famous Nathan'' was released, a feature-length documentary film, created by a grandson of Nathan's, Lloyd Handwerker, telling the family history of Nathan's Famous. In 2016, the corner of Surf Avenue and Stillwell Avenue was co-named Nathan & Ida Handwerker Way — to honor Nathan and his wife Ida.

References

External links

Sol Handwerker Interview - Nathan's son recounts growing up in the family business - conducted: August 1 2007 by Coney Island History Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Handwerker 1892 births 1974 deaths American food industry businesspeople American people of Polish-Jewish descent American restaurateurs Businesspeople from New York City Fast-food chain founders People from Port Charlotte, Florida Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States 20th-century American businesspeople Coney Island Hot dog vendors Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe)