Coney Island (restaurant)
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A Coney Island is a type of restaurant that is popular in the northern United States, particularly in Michigan, named after the Coney Island hot dog.[1]
Origins
"Coney Islands", as they are known, are a unique type of American restaurant. The first Coney Island restaurant was opened in Jackson, Michigan, in 1914 by a Macedonian immigrant named George Todoroff. Today two unaffiliated Coney Island restaurants, Jackson Coney Island and Virginia Coney Island, are located in a building near the train station on East Michigan Avenue near the site of his original restaurant. In addition, several local restaurants throughout the Jackson area offer their own version of the Coney Island hot dog, or just "coney" as referred to by local residents.[2][3]
Two of the best-known Coney Island restaurants are the Lafayette Coney Island and the American Coney Island, which are located in adjacent buildings on Lafayette Boulevard in downtown Detroit. They have a common root, with the original restaurant having been established by Greek immigrant brothers Bill and Gus Keros in 1915. The brothers got into a business dispute soon thereafter, and in 1917 split their restaurant into the two establishments that exist today.
Many European immigrants of the early twentieth century entered the United States through Ellis Island. One of their first stops was often the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, along the South Shore beachfront, where hot dogs were very popular. The original restaurant name referred to the restaurant being an immigrant-owned establishment, serving Coney Island's food of choice.
The menu of all Coney Island restaurants centers on the Coney Island hot dog, which is a natural-casing hot dog in a steamed bun dressed with chili, diced onions, and yellow mustard. This item is usually referred to simply as a "coney." Another popular item on most Coney Island restaurant menus is the "loose burger," which consists of crumbled ground beef in a hot dog bun, covered in the same condiments as a Coney Island hot dog. Many Coney Islands also serve "chili fries," which are french fries covered in chili, sometimes with mustard, onions and/or cheese added.
Many Coney Islands offer other Greek and
Growth of the Coney Island restaurant
Since the owners of the first Coney Island restaurants did not
Many Greek diners in
Coney Island restaurant chains
James Coney Island
James Coney Island, Inc. is a Houston-based chain of fast food restaurants that specializes in Coney Island hot dogs.[5]
Leo's Coney Island
The Leo's Coney Island chain was created by Greek brothers Peter and Leo Stassinopoulos. The brothers are nephews to Bill and Gust Keros who founded American and Lafayette Coney Islands. Peter and Leo worked at local Coney Island restaurants until they opened their own Coney Island in 1972 called the Southfield Souvlaki Coney Island in
Leo's uses buns from the Metropolitan Baking Company and the coney sauce is their own recipe manufactured by The Milton Chili Company located in Madison Heights. The natural casing hot dogs are supplied by the Koegel Meat Company.[7]
National Coney Island
National Coney Island is a Coney Island-style restaurant based in Michigan that specializes in Greek-American cuisine. It is a corporation that has more than 20 National Coney Island locations in the Metro Detroit area.[8]
In popular culture
Detroit's American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island have both been featured on episodes of Travel Channel shows Man v. Food and Food Wars.[9][10]
See also
- Coney Island hot dog
- List of Greek restaurants
- Tony Packo's
References
- ISBN 978-0-7627-5045-0. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- ^ "Our History". Todoroff's Original Coney Island - Treasure The Taste !. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Smith, Leanne (20 May 2015). "Peek Through Time: 100 years of humble hot dogs covered in chili marks Jackson Coney Island history". mlive.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ "The Battle of the Coney Islands — Sioux City, IA at wandrlust – discover the undiscovered". Wandrlust.net. 2007-10-09. Archived from the original on 2013-01-12. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
- ^ "Privacy Policy Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine." James Coney Island. Retrieved on April 4, 2010.
- ^ "History". Leo's Coney Island. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- ^ ISBN 9780814335185.
- ^ "Capital Gains." Capital Gains. N.p., 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2013. <http://www.capitalgainsmedia.com/inthenews/coney0336.aspx>.
- ^ Nunez, Jessica (5 November 2009). "'Man v. Food's' Adam Richman and Detroit gang of 40 fail to demolish 190-pound burger". mlive.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ Foley, Aaron (25 August 2010). "Lafayette or American? 'Food Wars' explores Detroit coney rivalry on tonight's episode". mlive.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
Further reading
- Barber, Katherine, ed. (2004). ISBN 0-19-541816-6.
- Christoff, Chris (April 1, 2014). "Detroit’s Coney Island Hot Dogs Are Edible Solace for City". Bloomberg.
- DeWitt, Dave; Evans, Chuck (1996). The Hot Sauce Bible (Paperback). United States: ISBN 9780895947604.
- Jakle, John A.; Sculle, Keith A. (1999). Fast Food. Baltimore: ISBN 0-8018-6109-8..
- Levine, Ed (2005-05-25). "It's All in How the Dog Is Served". The New York Times..
- Liske, Dave (2022). The Flint Coney: A Savory History. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN 9781467150460.
- Lindlar, Charlie (April 11, 2012). "Pizza Hut To Pioneer New Hot Dog-Stuffed Crust In UK Branches". Huffington Post(United Kingdom). Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- Varricchio, Taryn; Raucheisen, Nicole (7 Dec 2019). "How Nathan's Famous turned one hot dog stand on Coney Island into a household name". Business Insider.
- Yung, Katherine and Joe Grimm (2012). Coney Detroit. Detroit, Michigan: ISBN 9780814337189.