One of many artwork tributes hung in our restaurant. Even though the staff now wears a slightly more casual look than the shirt and tie outfit of the 1930s, the eager-to-please attitude is as evident on the faces of today’s crew as seen on those in this 90+ year-old photograph
[ Alton Crawford Brown Jr. is an American television personality, food show presenter, food scientist, author, voice actor, and cinematographer. Wikipedia ]
There are several factors that can draw a community together; one of the most powerful is food. One of the oldest restaurants in Allen County was started in 1913 on Calhoun Street by Greek immigrants and since 1914 Coney Island has been a fixture at 131 West Main Street. Vasil Eshcoff, a Macedonian immigrant, purchased an interest in the restaurant in 1916, from one of the three original Greek owners. In 1958 Russ Choka, Eshcoff’s son-in-law, began working on his behalf at Coney Island, taking over in 1961. By then the restaurant had already weathered decades of local and national ups and downs, retaining stability through it all. Elements that contribute to the now over 100 year tradition for this remarkable restaurant are the servers who take orders without writing them down, kid-favorite stools that spin, no-nonsense signs, hand chopping 75 pounds of onions daily, and cases of Cokes “in the little bottle” in the corner. Jimmy Todoran started working at Coney Island at just 15 years old. Russ Choka was like a second father to Jimmy and he worked alongside of Russ, literally 7 days a week. Today, you'll still find Jimmy working 7 days a week, overseeing the operation, chatting with customers and still serving dogs during the busier lunch rushes. Todoran runs Coney Island with his business partner Kathy Choka. Notable as the atmosphere, tradition and service are, most people love the hot dogs at Coney Island. The famous coney sauce is still made from the original recipe concocted in 1913, and today the spices are mixed by only Jimmy himself. The neighborhood has had a multitude of businesses: shoeshine stands, rough bars, candy stores and, at one time, at least ten or twelve other hot dog stands. For 106 years Coney Island remained opened, it was even the only downtown business to stay open during the Blizzard of 1978; however, in November 2020 the restaurant closed for the first time in its history to allow several days of cleaning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Coney Island has long stood the test of time and looks to a bright future. #sociallyhistory
Congratulations to King Alex!!! After winning our Coney Dog eating contest in 2014, eating 19 Coneys in 10 Minutes…TEN years later he is crowned the champion of the Inaugural Powers Hamburgers slider eating competition eating 20 in 10 minutes!!!
Even though the staff now wears a slightly more casual look than the shirt and tie outfit of the 1930s, the eager-to-please attitude is as evident on the faces of today’s crew as seen on those in this 90+ year-old photograph
Many Fort Wayne and Indiana books can be found in the gift shop or online!
