Which Macedonian immigrant founded Jackson's first Coney Island restaurant in 1914?

George Todoroff, a Macedonian immigrant, founded Jackson’s first Coney Island restaurant in 1914.

Todoroff opened his stand, Todoroff’s Coney Island, near the Jackson, Michigan, train station, serving passengers and local customers. His business helped establish Jackson as one of Michigan’s important Coney dog centers.

The Jackson-style Coney dog is typically a natural-casing hot dog topped with mustard, onions, and a meat sauce. Todoroff’s original sauce used ground beef; during World War II, beef rationing led to a switch to ground beef heart, which became a defining feature of the local style.

The history is sometimes blurred because Detroit’s American and Lafayette Coney Islands also make competing claims connected to the early Coney dog tradition. Those Detroit restaurants opened in 1917, while Todoroff’s Jackson operation dates to 1914.