- America’s coney tradition began in the early years of the 20th century, as Greek and Macedonian immigrants joined family business lunch counters in boomtowns like New York, Cleveland, and Detroit.
- Proof of Michigan’s first coney island restaurant is elusive, but in the 1910s, successful coney counters were thriving in Detroit, Jackson, Flint, and Kalamazoo.
- In the 1950s and 1960s, coneys changed with the culture. In later years, many became full-service neighborhood diners, serving everything from full breakfasts to late-night snacks, catering to local tastes with Mediterranean, Eastern European, kosher, or South Asian specialties.
- The secret to coney islands’ longevity and proliferation is a mix of flavor, atmosphere, and the memories we make at their tables.
Coney dogs are one of Michigan’s most iconic foods. But why? That’s what listener Dave Vick from Lansing was wondering:
“I’m curious how Michigan became the birthplace of coney dogs? How did we become the coney dog capitol of the world?”
There’s plenty to unpack here in terms of hot dog history and Michigan originals, so let’s dive in.
More Coneys in Michigan Than Anywhere Else
No exploration of Michigan coney history is complete without consulting Detroit Coney, Katherine Yung and Joe Grimm’s 2012 bible of the coney island restaurants of Michigan. These two newspaper alumni teamed up to visit dozens of spots from Pontiac to Port Huron, from Flint to Clarkston - and of course, many of Detroit’s finest lunch counters.
Coney dogs, Yung said, are, “the signature food of Michigan and of Detroit. There's the Philly cheesesteak in Philadelphia, and that is [what] our coney dog is it for Michigan and for Detroit in particular.”
In fact, the idea for the book came to them at Detroit’s coney ground zero.
“Katherine and I were working at the [Detroit] Free Press right down the street from Lafayette and American,” explained Grimm.
The neighboring downtown stalwarts, Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island, are essential parts of any conversation about Detroit coneys. They’re so closely linked, you Google the name of one of these restaurants, pictures of both show up in your search.
Founded by Greek immigrant Gust Keros, American Coney Island served lunch to working people starting in 1917. A few years later, Gust’s brother William moved to Detroit and opened Lafayette Coney Island next door. It is symbolic of the kind of collaborative / competitive relationship that explains coneys’ proliferation throughout Michigan. Newly-arrived American entrepreneurs from Greece and Macedonia wanted proven business models. Those who knew someone or had a family member with a toehold in an affordable and popular food business wanted to replicate that success.
But why does a food with deep Michigan roots take its name from a place in New York? Hot dog history has it that sausages of various kinds were being sold in Coney Island, New York in the 1800s. Many food historians agree a German baker on Coney Island - Charles Feltman - had a stand selling sausages in steamed buns in 1867. And it was on Coney Island where, around the 1910s, these sausages started to resemble what we would now recognize as a hot dog.
Was Michigan Home to the First Coney?
Was the first Coney Island restaurant really located in Michigan? Here, Katherine Yung is sorry to report, is where the coney trail grows cold.
“We discovered through our research that a lot of the the early coney coney dogs first began being sold by Greek and immigrants and also immigrants from Macedonia,” she said, everywhere from New York to Cleveland, Chicago, and Detroit. She says there’s no definitive first coney.
“Everyone would love to have this [as] the birthplace of the coney dog, but unfortunately, that has been lost to history.”
What we can say, Yung continued, is that Michigan’s coney culture was going strong and becoming defined as other cities went different ways.
“We found coney dogs going back to like 1917. Duly's place, I think, was 1917. And, also Jackson was early, early into Coney Islands too,” Yung said.
Although, Joe Grimm added, stories about Jackson hosting Michigan’s first coney island are unfounded.
“Even Kalamazoo has a coney island that dates back to, like 1915 or 1916,” Yung said.
Yung and Grimm told us Michigan’s coney culture had a lot to do with beloved recipes, and also with availability: the most enduring benefited from a solid location and late-night hours.
But there’s another factor helping Michigan’s most successful coneys.
Coneys Are About More Than Hot Dogs
Damon Smith is a Detroit West-sider whose social feeds went viral for a hot take on Detroit’s best-known coneys.
Smith said his video was not meant to put down any coney islands, but to point out that the most famous ones are not necessarily Detroiters’ go-to stops.
“[The downtown spots] are popular for coney dogs,” Smith said.” It's always been a coney dog battle. But coney is a multitude of things. It's grilled chicken, pitas, salads.”
We met up at Smith’s favorite: L George's near the corner of 6 Mile and Schaefer Highway.
“One of the most iconic and best Coney Islands in the city,” Smith said.
He wasn’t kidding.
The menu has a little something for everyone: world-class coneys, of course, but also breakfast, a full range of sandwiches, a fan favorite called the Bronx wrap, and the biggest, crunchiest Greek Salad you’ve ever seen, with a special house-made pink Greek dressing. It’s a great reminder that a great coney restaurant is more than just coneys.
“I've been eating here since I was a teenager,” Smith said. “I actually went to high school not too far away. And there was a nice little music shop right down the street. I used to go [there to] sell tapes and CDs of local Detroit hip hop artists.”
And, he added, as much as food, service, and location matter, the magnetic pull of coneys comes down to one very important factor:
“Detroiters are real nostalgic. We have a memory of a place we went to and had a good meal," Smith said. "We'd be loyal to that place. Even if others might feel like the quality went down, they might not notice it, because they're loyal.”
It’s the stories of our favorite coneys that make these hot dog oases what they are.
What's Your Coney Story?
Catch up with our On Hand episode on Michigan coneys, and then send us your stories about your most memorable coneys. Yours might be shared on the podcast next week.
