This week, we are excited and honored to celebrate what would have been the 177th birthday of Charles Feltman, the man who invented the hot dog and also served as the inspiration behind the rebirth of Feltman’s of Coney Island, now considered to be one of, if not the best hot dog in New York City.
After emigrating to the United States from Germany, Charles Feltman came to America already having a strong understanding of the frankfurter and strong baking experience. He used this knowledge to launch his own pushcart pie wagon on Coney Island in 1867 where beachgoers would have an opportunity to try his edible creations. That same year, Feltman turned the frankfurter on its head by coming up with a way for it to be conveniently held and enjoyed right on the beach. Calling it “Coney Island red hot”, its popularity quickly skyrocketed. Despite Feltman baptizing it with an official name, the public would ultimately dub it the iconic name we all know today: the “hot dog”.
In the 1870s, Feltman went from a pushcart to a full-fledged restaurant, quickly gaining a loyal following and serving millions of customers by the 1920s. Sadly, Feltman passed away in 1910 yet his sons Charles L. and Alfred F. Feltman continued to carry on the Feltman name.
This update is by Feltman’s of Coney Island Hot Dogs, a symbol of American tradition and quality for decades and the proud maker of the first hot dog originally founded by its namesake Charles Feltman, the inventor of the hot dog. Feltman’s hot dogs are free of nitrates and artificial ingredients, using all natural beef to create an experience that explodes with incredible, original flavor. For more information, please visit one of the locations in Brooklyn or Feltman’s Kitchen on St. Marks Place in the East Village to try some of the best hot dogs in the country.
