This Iconic Hot Dog Brand Was Just Sold For $450 Million

Originally opened in 1916 by Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker with a $300 loan, Nathan's Famous was just sold on January 21 2026 for $450 million. The buyer, Smithfield Foods, already held the rights to produce and sell the hot dogs and other Nathan's Famous products in the U.S. and Canada, as well as at Sam's Clubs in Mexico. Once the shareholders vote on the deal, Smithfield will own the brand outright. The deal is expected to close in the first half of this year. The company hasn't been in the Handwerker family for some time, however. In 1987 the family sold Nathan's Famous to Equicor Group Ltd. for $20 million. Though it hasn't been a family brand for a while now, it still took number one in our ranking of store-bought hot dog brands.

Started in 1936 in Virginia, Smithfield Foods today owns many different packaged meat brands including Farmer John, Armour, and Cook's. It is now a subsidiary of the WH Group, the China-based company that is the largest provider of pork in the world. Other subsidiaries include Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co., Ltd. in China and Morliny Foods Holding Limited in Europe.

Nathan's Famous, like many food companies, has been having to deal with price inflation of the ingredients used in its products. In 2025, the company had profits of $24 million, which is down from the roughly $32 million it made in the 2024 fiscal year. It doesn't help the famously all beef hot dogs that the price of beef in particular just keeps rising. It may be a while before cattle stocks can increase enough to make a dent in the cost of beef.

While the cost of the ingredients will potentially be a struggle for some time, there is a Nathan's Famous tradition that looks to remain unchanged. Smithfield Food intends to continue the fourth of July tradition of the hot dog eating contest. While the origins of the contest are murky, it didn't become an officially sanctioned event until 1997.