TOLEDO (WTOL) - 100 years of service in the same location is a tradition Coney Island Hot Dogs hope it’s far from over.
There’s something special behind their door: a business booming, happy people and really good food.
“I ate two hotdogs and they are making me full already,” Coney Island regular customer Renee Kirkwood said.
They have been on on Superior Street in Downtown Toledo serving customers for 100 years.
“You could not get anything better and the prices are absolutely wonderful,” customer Beverly Hudson said.
"I personally love the chilly dogs, the French fries and onion rings,” Delmer Archer, a regular at Coney Island, said. “My wife she goes all around the menu, but I stick to the hot dog and fries. I love them.”
“It doesn’t change,” Rose, his wife of 40 years, said. “It’s always the same. It’s always good.”
Uncle Gus moved to the area and opened Coney Island Hot Dog in April of 1919. Anybody at the restaurant knows what made it famous: Gus’ legacy.
"The sauce and good hot dogs,” Vernon King, a customer of the downtown spot for decades, said.
But that’s not the only thing that keep people coming back, year after year and decade after decade.
Gus’ great nephew kept his recipes, the tradition of loving his customers and treating them right.
“We respect the people, they respect us,” Coney Island owner Frixos Stylianides said. "So many times they come in, almost every day. We feel like a family. This is their second home away here.”
Frixos does it all. He’s owner, cook, friend and more to those who enter the restaurant.
His employees have been there for years too. Melissa O’Connor, for instance, started working at Coney Island when she was just 18.
Now, 26 years later she still works there alongside her sister and can’t imagine anything else.
“We put a lot of effort into making people happy,” said O’Connor. “We like to give back because they’ve been coming in for so many years. I’ve watched children grow up here and, we’re a family. That’s what makes us special.”
For their regulars, it’s not just an open seat, friendly greeting or knowing their order by heart. They said Coney Island means so much more.
“The people around here they work hard to keep us happy,” Terrance Towbridge, an almost daily customer, said. “I’ve been waiting to say it for a while, but I love those guys like they love me.”
The City of Toledo will honor Coney Island with a proclamation for their dedicated service and special dogs.
But while he is grateful for the honor, the owner said his job is fun and a blessing.
“We love the people, they love us,” Stylianides said. "They respect us, that’s why we keep going and going. We enjoy the work.”
Their customers hope that work continues for several years to come.
“I wish them another 100 years,” Towbridge said.
“Good luck and keep going,” Vernon Kind and Renee Kirkwood said.
To celebrate their 100 year anniversary, Stylianides wants to thank their customers. Coney Island Hot Dog will have one-dollar Coney dogs (limit six per person) next Wednesday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.