This year, Nathan’s (also known as Nathan’s Famous) — is celebrating its 100th anniversary. That is a tremendous achievement in any aspect of business, and especially so for a fast-food chain.

What has enabled the chain to last so long? According to Nathan’s Corporate profile:

Nathan’s began as a nickel hot dog stand on Coney Island in 1916 and has become a much-loved ‘New York institution’ that has evolved into a highly recognized brand throughout the United States and overseas.”

“Through our innovative points-of-distribution strategies, Nathan’s products are marketed within our restaurant system and throughout a broad spectrum of other food-service and retail environments. Our programs provide for the sale of Nathan’s World Famous Beef Hot Dogs, crinkle-cut French fries, and other famous favorites to food-service locations nationwide and within eleven foreign territories and countries. In total, Nathan’s products are marketed for sale in close to 50,000 locations, including supermarkets and club stores throughout the United States. Last year, over 480 million Nathan’s Famous hot dogs were sold.”

“Successful market penetration of our highly-recognized valued brand and products, through a wide variety of distribution channels, continues to provide new and exciting growth opportunities.”

Another clever marketing approach that has generated a tremendous amount of name recognition involves Nathan’s annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, televised live and through multiple media platforms on ESPN for several years. 

Click here to see Nathan’s global store locations.

Click here to see Nathan’s interactive timeline in honor of its 100th birthday.

Below are the video highlights of the 2015 hot dog eating contest. “Upstart competitive eater Matt Stonie swallowed the competition, including eight-time champ Joey Chestnut, at the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest Saturday in Coney Island.”