In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Nathan's Famous will attempt to break the Guinness World Records title for world's Longest Line of Hot Dogs on Sept. 2 at 12 p.m. in the Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.
Nathan's will line up 1,916 hot dogs, more than 950 ft. in length, to break the previous record of approximately 846 feet set in Tokyo, Japan, in 2014. The line of Nathan's hot dogs will spell out "100," a reference to the 100th anniversary of the famed Coney Island hot dog brand, which was founded on the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in 1916.
"Nathan's already stands out in the minds of consumers as the world's leading premium hot dog," said Nathan's executive vice president Scott Harvey. "Setting another hot dog world record is the perfect way to kick off the Labor Day grilling weekend on our anniversary year."
Hot dog-eating world champion Joey Chestnut, who ate a record 70 hot dogs in 10 minutes on July 4, will oversee the Guinness World Records attempt. Nathan's Famous will give away free hot dogs to audience members and spectators following the attempt.
Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker originally borrowed $300 from Jimmy Durante and Eddie Cantor to open his hot dog stand in Coney Island, and Nathan's flagship restaurant still operates in the same location. However, the global, publicly traded company now sells more than 500 million hot dogs each year at 53,000 locations in the U.S. and around the world.
Highlights of the Nathan's Famous 100th anniversary celebration included a special 5-Cent Hot Dog promotion over Memorial Day Weekend and the Nathan's Famous International Fourth of July Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island.
Smithfield Foods is the licensee of Nathan's Famous prepackaged hot dogs.
