Virginia's Smithfield Foods Acquires Iconic Coney Island Hot Dog Hawker Nathan's Famous

Virginia's Smithfield Foods acquires iconic Coney Island hot dog hawker Nathan's Famous

Virginia-based Smithfield Foods has acquired iconic hot dog maker Nathan's Famous in an all-cash $450 million deal.

Smithfield buys Nathan's Hot Dogs

Nathan's Famous, which opened as a 5-cent hot dog stand in Coney Island more than a century ago, has been sold to packaged meat giant Smithfield Foods, based in Smithfield, Virginia, in an all-cash $450 million deal, the companies announced…

American Travesty: A Chinese Company Just Bought Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs.

My office decorations are mostly standard-issue: pictures of my family, a diploma, a couple of concert posters to trick people into thinking I’m fun. But no one notices them at first, as everyone’s eyes inevitably go to the portrait above my desk.It’s impossible to miss: a big, professionally-framed picture of a Joey Chestnut, smiling triumphantly behind a pile of hot dogs after reclaiming the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest championship from Ta…

Iconic Nathan’s Famous hot dogs sold in $450 million deal

Some brands don’t just sell food—they sell July. For over a century, Nathan’s Famous has been less about the hot dog itself and more about the spectacle, the tradition, and that one chaotic day every summer when grown adults willingly punish their digestive systems on live television. Now, that legacy has a new owner. The Coney Island hot dog brand that built a century-long reputation on a single stand and a single product has been sold for abou…