Formerly: Coney Island Wiener Stand
Fort Wayne, Indiana · Founded 1913
A Fort Wayne Coney stand that began in 1913 and has served Main Street since 1914 under generations of Eschoff-Choka family stewardship.
Fort Wayne’s Famous Coney Island began as a Calhoun Street stand in 1913 before opening at 131 W. Main St. in 1914. Vasil Eschoff purchased an interest in 1916, beginning a long family stewardship that continues through Kathy Choka and longtime operator Jimmy Todoran. The compact downtown counter remains known for its Coney dogs, quick service, and working-class continuity.
Three Greek immigrants establish a Coney stand on Calhoun Street in Fort Wayne.
Source: LaSalle Downtown, “Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island”; Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, “Famous Coney Island Fort Wayne, Indiana.”
The Coney stand opens at 131 W. Main St., the downtown location it continues to occupy.
Source: Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island official website; Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island contact page; Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, “Famous Coney Island Fort Wayne, Indiana.”
Vasil Eschoff, a Macedonian immigrant, purchases an interest in the restaurant, beginning the family stewardship later associated with the Choka family.
Source: Meat+Poultry, “A century of hot doggin’”; WBOI, “Iconic Fort Wayne Restaurant Welcomes Everyone As Family,” 2015; Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, “Famous Coney Island Fort Wayne, Indiana.”
Russ Choka, Vasil Eschoff's son-in-law, begins working on Eschoff’s behalf at Coney Island.
Source: Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, “Famous Coney Island Fort Wayne, Indiana.”
Russ Choka takes over the restaurant’s day-to-day leadership from Vasil Eschoff.
Source: Meat+Poultry, “A century of hot doggin’”; Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, “Famous Coney Island Fort Wayne, Indiana.”
Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island celebrates 100 years on Main Street.
Source: Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island contact page.
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The business has a well-supported 1913 origin and has occupied 131 W. Main St. since 1914. It is frequently called Indiana’s oldest Coney stand and one of the nation’s oldest, but the reviewed record does not include a comparative study of Indiana and national rivals or complete primary documentation of every operating period.
The business, local history organizations, and independent reporting consistently identify 131 W. Main St. as the stand’s Main Street home since 1914. This is strongly supported by multiple accounts, though the review did not examine a complete run of title, licensing, and directory records.
Vasil Eschoff purchased an interest in Coney Island in 1916. His daughter later married Russ Choka, who took over the business, and the current operation identifies Kathy Choka and longtime employee Jimmy Todoran as its caretakers.
National Geographic calls the claim the longest-running hot-dog stand in America, while other longstanding stands make competing claims and differ on opening date, category, location, and continuity. The 1913–14 record makes Fort Wayne’s stand a serious candidate, but the national title requires direct comparison of rivals before it can be confirmed.
Felix Frebel opened Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island at 131 W. Main St. in 1914.
The business began as a Calhoun Street Coney stand in 1913, established by three Greek immigrants, and opened at 131 W. Main St. in 1914. The reviewed sources do not support Felix Frebel as the sole founder.
Source: LaSalle Downtown, “Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island”; Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana, “Famous Coney Island Fort Wayne, Indiana”; National Geographic, “The surprising history behind America's longest running hot dog stand,” 2026.
Vasil Choka bought the restaurant in 1916.
Vasil Eschoff purchased an interest in the restaurant in 1916. His daughter later married Russ Choka, who became the key later operator and established the Choka-family connection.
Source: Meat+Poultry, “A century of hot doggin’”; WBOI, “Iconic Fort Wayne Restaurant Welcomes Everyone As Family,” 2015.
Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island is definitively America's oldest continuously operating hot dog stand.
The restaurant is a major national oldest-stand claimant with a 1913 origin and 1914 Main Street presence, but competing venues and differences in category and continuity mean the national title has not been independently resolved here.
Source: National Geographic, “The surprising history behind America's longest running hot dog stand,” 2026; FortWayne.com, “The Family Way.”
Coney Island has endured because it treats its history as a living daily practice: the same downtown room, a stripped-down counter format, and people who learned the work from earlier generations. The result is a business that has remained part of Fort Wayne’s daily life rather than merely becoming a historic attraction.
Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island began as a Calhoun Street Coney stand in 1913 and opened at 131 W. Main St. in 1914. Vasil Eschoff bought an interest in 1916, and his family connection continued through Russ and Kathy Choka. Today, Kathy Choka and longtime operator Jimmy Todoran describe themselves as caretakers of the historic downtown stand.
Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island is a leading Indiana oldest-Coney-stand claimant, with a 1913 origin and documented Main Street presence since 1914. It is often described as Indiana’s oldest and one of the nation’s oldest, but a definitive title requires comparison with other Indiana and national Coney stands and evidence of each candidate’s uninterrupted operation.
Fort Wayne's Famous Coney Island describes Kathy Choka and Jimmy Todoran as the restaurant’s caretakers rather than using conventional ownership titles. The business has been associated with the Eschoff-Choka family lineage since Vasil Eschoff purchased an interest in 1916, but the current legal operating entity needs confirmation through Indiana business records.
The business began on Calhoun Street in 1913 and moved to 131 W. Main St. in 1914. It has been associated with the Main Street address ever since, making the downtown Fort Wayne storefront central to its history.
131 W Main St, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(260) 424-2997
Coney Island is a compact downtown counter-service restaurant. Its official site lists current hours and takeout information; confirm details before visiting.