Feltmans’ Restaurant, founded by Charles Feltman (1841-1910) was a Coney Island institution for over a century. At its height of popularity, it stretched along West 10th Street from Surf Avenue to the shore. Feltman’s restaurant had a modest start, but found success quickly, in no small part due to Feltman’s unique invention – the hot dog. Legend has it that Feltman first put a sausage inside a sliced roll as a way to provide beachgoers with a hot meal that could be served from his cart. People loved the hot dog and by the early 1900s Feltman was the proprietor of nine restaurants, a roller coaster, a carousel, a ballroom, an outdoor movie theater, a hotel, and more. Pictured here is a placemat from Feltman’s Coney Island, declaring the restaurant to be “Caterers to the Millions.” This was no exaggeration. By the 1920s Feltman’s Ocean Pavilion was serving five million customers a year and was billed as the world’s largest restaurant. Click the image to expand.