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A Family Tradition

National Coney Island traverses the generations of hot dog heritage.

W

holesome, honest-to-goodness
Coney Island hot dog operations
with menus that could be the
envy of many other type dining spots are
very much in the minority.
Too many of them never seem to progress
any further after starting with the basic
hot dog, chili, hamburger and a few other
items ... Remaining just another hot dog
restaurant in a sea of multitudinous "Coney
Islands:'
This might have been OK years back
when a really good Coney Island hot dog
restaurant didn't need anything else but
such a restaurant's set food foundations ...
However, times have changed ... and so
have the diversified tastes of people who
now demand more from these types of
spots.
National Coney Island, for example, has
become much more full-service oriented
... with a menu that
is varied enough to
include the entire
family without
restricting its taste
selections.
When the late Jim
Giftos opened his first
location in 1965, at
the Macomb Mall in
Roseville, the only
things served were
Tom Giftos Jr.
Coney Island hot
dogs, chili, hamburg-
ers, potato chips and soda pop.
It was a little place, too, with about 50
seats that also included a 15-stool counter.
Today, National Coney Island has numer-
ous units that seat well into the hundreds.
Here is a full-service Coney Island hot dog
operation ... and a good one, too ... with
menus that include cheese sticks, home-
made soups, salads galore, almost every
kind of Coney Island hot dog that could

be imagined, desserts, varied
entrees, sandwiches, etc.
Other than Coney Island hot
dogs, so many continue to talk
about that wonderful sandwich
favorite, a Hani Special of chick-
en tenderloins topped with Swiss
and American cheese, served
on grilled pita, with lettuce and
mayonnaise that came about
when one of the cooks made
himself the sandwich.
In no time, so many custom-
ers were asking for the Hani Special that
onto the bill of fare they went ... In the res-
taurant business this is called taking advan-
tage of progressive awareness, to say nothing
of customer request fulfillment.
Jim's father, the late Tom Giftos Sr., had
come to America from Greece in 1919 and
served in the United States Army during
World War II ... He used to work at the
original Lafayette Coney Island in Detroit
and was regarded as one of the finest
grill men around ... On Friday nights at
Lafayette Coney Island, Tom Sr. ran the grill
by himself, and those who remember can
attest that this was no small chore keeping
up with the rapid-order bellowing of wait-
persons.
Lafayette was one of Detroit's busiest and
tastiest dining spots ... a gleaming stainless
steel and tile restaurant with the improbable
dimensions of approximately 20 by 30 feet
and a seating capacity around 24.
Although its menu was very short,
Lafayette Coney Island with Tom Sr. enjoyed
a national reputation ... customers rubbing
elbows with the likes of showbiz folks, ath-
letes, millionaires, paupers, etc.
The menu listed hamburgers, hot dogs
and chili as entrees along with pies and
beverages ... It was in combining the Coney
ingredients as entrees that the gourmet or
gourmand got his or her greatest taste thrill.

The hamburgers at Lafayette
when Tom Sr. worked there
were not hammered into a patty
and flopped on a greasy grill
... He was a stickler in keeping
it ultra-clean ... Ground beef
was stirred by Tom and oth-
ers in loose form in a large pot
with Grecian spices and cooked
into thousands of crumbly little
pieces of much goodness.
This was spooned out with a
wooden spoon onto a hot dog
bun and served to a drooling customer ...
The same process was followed when deal-
ing with hot dogs ... Like at National, they
were grilled until golden and succulent ...
topped with the chili.
Jim Giftos passed away in 2011, and his
son Tom Giftos Jr. has been in charge since.
The Giftos family, Jim and son Tom Jr.,
have earned high respect in so many ways
... feeding the hungry and giving to many
charities.
And National Coney Island employees
are extremely oriented in numerous facets
needed for customer satisfaction.
Tom Giftos Jr. does not want people to
think of his restaurants as "greasy spoons"
... This for certain they are not ... All
National Coney Islands are light and airy
... No dinginess that might be associated
with a number of Coney Island operations
who regretfully retain the "greasy spoon"
stigma ... Restaurants like National have
done much to remove the sometimes false
thinking that has prevailed about all being
the same.
Imagine going to a Coney Island hot dog
restaurant where one can savor the succu-
lent sandwich or chili, while others enjoy a
large selection of other items from which to
choose.
This is the National Coney Island that grew
from a midget to the giant that it is today.

THERE ARE TWO Tomatoes APIZZA
... The one on 14 Mile at Middlebelt,
Farmington Hills, was opened in 2003 ...
The Tomatoes APIZZA on Halsted, just
north of Grand River, Farmington, is run
by Coleen Weinstein ... with a gent named
"Mike" operating the 14 Mile eatery ...
Colleen is a talented pizza chef and man-
ager, with Tomatoes APIZZA more than 12
years ... and Mike Weinstein's wife.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE ... From Russi
Arden . . . Abe was a poor tailor whose shop
was next door to an up-market French res-
taurant. Every day at lunch time, Abe was
surprised to receive an invoice from the res-
taurant for "enjoyment of food:'
So he went to the restaurant to point out
that he had not bought anything from them.
The manager said, "You're enjoying our
food, so you should pay for it:'
Abe refused to pay and the restaurant
sued him. At the hearing, the judge asked
the restaurant to present their side of the
case. The manager said, "Every day, this
man comes and sits outside our kitchen
and smells our food while eating his. It is
clear that we are providing added value to
his poor food and we deserve to be recom-
pensed for it:'
The judge turns to Abe and says, "What
do you have to say to that?"
Abe didn't say anything but stuck his
hand in his pocket and rattled the few coins
he had inside.
The judge asked him, "What is the mean-
ing of that?"
Abe replied, "I'm paying for the smell of
his food with the sound of my money:'
CONGRATS ... To Ilene Lubin on her
birthday ... To Avery and Marilyn Warnick on
their same day birthdays ... To Richard and
Lynn Kasmer on their 45th anniversary.

❑

Danny's email address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

CUCINA ITALIANA

"A family
tradition
since 1964"

Wine Down Wednesdays

Every Wednesday

HALF OFF

EXQUISITE CATERING & IMPECCABLE SERVICE

tray and shiva catering, showers and weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs,

corporate and private dinners, on-site as well as off-premise catering

k. 248.432.5509

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37656 W. 12 Mile Road at Halstead
Farmington Hills

www.AntoniosRestaurants.com

48 July 9 • 2015

1979950

