For the first time in 108 years, Chris’ Hot Dogs is reportedly changing hands. The owners of the Montgomery eatery confirmed the sale in a Facebook post over the weekend. The restaurant with its distinctive green awning has a client list that includes Doctor Martin Luther King, junior, country music legend Hank Williams, and writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The website Lonely Planet put Chris’ Hot Dogs on its list of historic restaurants in the U.S. The article said…
“If you want a side of history with your hot dog, Chris’ Hotdogs has you covered. This beloved local spot has been a fixture in Montgomery since 1917. It was the favorite local hang out of many of the city's famous locals, including writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife as well as musician Hank Williams, who rumor has it wrote his famous song 'Hey Good Lookin' here. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was even known to request a box of Chris' hot dogs be brought to his train whenever it passed through the city. Today, the restaurant is still the heart of the city, located directly on Dexter Avenue, down the street from the Alabama State Capitol and the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. (also a regular here) was pastor in the 1950s.”
Other nationally known restaurants listed alongside Chris’ Hotdogs including Katz’s Delicatessen in New York City’s Lower East Side, Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, and Mystic Pizza in Connecticut, Antoine’s in New Orleans, which invented Oysters Rockefeller, and The Union Oyster House in Boston which is considered the oldest operating restaurant in the nation.
Angia Katechis, wife of the current owner of Chris’s Hotdog, who died last year, announced the news on Facebook. The new owners were not identified, but Katechis describes the buyers as “devoted caretakers who share our deep love for Montgomery and its rich traditions.”
