Business

Hot dog! Feltman’s brings relish to Industry City

December 8, 2020 Jaime DeJesus

Photo courtesy of Randy Peers

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The original hot dog brand has made its way to Industry City.

Feltman’s of Coney Island recently signed a lease to manufacture its hot dogs and products at the Sunset Park complex.

“We’ve only been there a month but I totally love it,” said Michael Quinn, who co-owns the company with his brother Joe. “The vibe is great. It’s very Brooklyn. A lot of businesses are closing now and moving out of the city, and the fact we are taking on and signing a lease in Industry City is pretty significant.”

Charles Feltman, who was born in Germany, is said to have created the first hot dog in 1867 in Coney Island. He called it a red hot.

Photos courtesy of the Tichnor Brothers Collection at Boston Public Library- The original Feltman’s in Coney Island.

The new facility includes posters from 1901 of Feltman’s Ocean Pavilion in Coney Island; original banners from the opening of the company’s Luna Park location in 2017; and bleacher seats from Shea and Yankee stadiums.

Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce president Randy Peers recently visited the new space and congratulated the Quinn brothers on their expansion.

“Feltman’s was the ‘original’ Coney Island hot dog, and the fact that the brand is still produced here in Brooklyn is a testament to the amazing history behind the product,” Peers said. “The Brooklyn Chamber will be working with Feltman’s to expand the distribution of this amazing hot dog.”

The Quinn family has numerous facilities nationwide and produces 50,000 pounds of hot dogs a week. The brand has rolled out nationwide at Whole Foods and has managed to stay successful despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The brothers fell in love with the company and Coney Island thanks to their grandfather, who gave them the recipe for the hot dogs in the early 1990s.

“He had friends that were the owners of the facility by the Brooklyn Navy Yard that made the hot dogs,” said Quinn. “I was able to revive it with my brother Joe.”

Photos courtesy of Feltman’sMichael, Jimmy and Joe Quinn, left to right. Jimmy, who was killed in the 9/11 attacks, inspired his brothers to revive the Feltman’s name.

The Quinns also took inspiration from their brother Jimmy when they bought the name to continue the brand’s legacy. Jimmy was killed in the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

“Two days before he died on 9/11, we were down at Coney Island and we were standing on the top of the subway line and looking down and having a discussion about opening one,” said Quinn.

Feltman’s returned to Luna Park in 2017, but the location was recently closed. The Quinns are hoping to make the brand as big in Coney Island as it was during its glory days.

“I’m looking for myself to buy some property in Coney Island and I want to own it,” said Quinn. “I want to bring back something similar to that grand palace that was Feltman’s back in the day.”