• Ad Age, Friday, July 6, 2007 11:30 AM

More than 35,000 people flocked to the birthplace of Nathan's Famous hot dog chain in Coney Island to watch "professional hot-dog eaters" duke it out for the contest's coveted mustard-yellow championship belt on July 4. The boisterous spectators sported hot-dog hats and clapped yellow blow-up sticks Nathan's gave away.

Originally starting as a stand that sold nickel franks in 1916, Nathan's has expanded to 49 states and 13 countries in the past 10 years. The first Nathan's Coney Island contest was on July 4, 1916; it has been held annually ever since. With its growing popularity, 370 million Nathan's hot dogs were sold all over the world in 2006.

The end of the contest meant a rush to eat, and the scene more resembled a mosh pit at a rock concert rather than a line at a lunch counter. Hundreds inched their way and would order as many as 10 hot dogs a time with mounds of crinkled fries on the side. Bradford Coyle, a 20-year-old native Ohioan who made this year's qualifier, says Nathan's hot dogs are the best, and that he feels at home at Coney Island. "This is my Graceland," he says.

Read the whole story at Ad Age »