Yes, the beloved original Nathan's in Coney Island—home to one of the best hot dogs in all the land— suffered serious damage from Hurricane Sandy and it is going to take some time to get back in business. But don't worry, they hope to be up and running with lots of time to spare for the inevitable Joey Chestnut July 4th hot dog eating sevenpeat.
"Nathan’s has begun the process of rebuilding and anticipates reopening this spring, before the summer season," a spokesman promised the Brooklyn Paper. Apparently much of Nathan's equipment ended up under water when the superstorm hit land. The company won't say how much, but clearly it wasn't nothing: "Hurricane Sandy caused significant damage to the Nathan’s facility as it did to many other residences and businesses in Coney Island," was all they would say.
And Nathan's isn't the only Coney Island eatery that won't be back for a bit. Beloved pizzeria Totonno's isn't likely to be slinging pies again for a bit either.
But still, at least the disgustingly fun hot dog eating competition should be back this summer. And in the meantime, a promoter says, "The truth of the matter is that the hurricane was devastating to everyone, and there are many other Nathan’s locations where you can get the same food, but the one in Coney Island is the one people come to every summer, and right now they are rebuilding." Which is a nice sentiment but also a fallacy. Because only the original location's dogs have long been known to be actually different and better than what you get elsewhere (all about the casing). Ugh, and now we're hungry. Is it the spring yet?
