- What do ownership changes on East Michigan Avenue bode for the future of Jackson's East Side?
- Two Coney Island restaurants on East Michigan Avenue have new owners...with plans for improvements in what they're calling the "Coney District".
- WATCH THE VIDEO for details and more updates on changes in store!
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
"Our goal is to keep the customer experience alive." — Ted Christoff, New Owner, Virginia Coney Island
With attention on East Side development, some ownership changes on this block of East Michigan Avenue indicate a neighborhood update in the works — with a focus on this Jackson classic — the famous "Coney Dog".
They're calling it the "Coney District" — it's this stretch of East Michigan Avenue where Macedonian immigrant families set up their first diners in Jackson more than a century ago — and, according to Jackson businessman Ted Christoff, invented the Coney Island Hot Dog.
Last summer, I talked to Christoff, who owns a flooring business, about the fabled history of this Jackson classic.
Not long after that, the Virginia Coney Island came up for sale.
"My wife and I looked at each other and thought: OK, we need to do this for our family legacy," says Christoff. "It's always been a part of our life. My uncles, my cousins, my other cousins…"
Christoff is now the proud new owner of Virginia Coney Island, showing me pictures of relatives who have worked here through the years.
He also tells me how his grandfather joined brother-in-law George Todoroff in operating Jackson's very first Coney Island restaurant — right up the street from here.
That building is no longer.
But the business survived in a building next door. And the Jackson Coney Island now has a new owner, as well: restaurateur Scott Pienta — a Jackson East Sider, born and raised.
"We want to bring back that feeling of a small town diner," says Pienta. His plans include a kitchen expansion, some healthier menu options…and carryout pizza next door.
But some things won't change.
"The Coney's going to be king. You can't sell 200,000 Coneys a year and go 'Gosh, we should change the recipe'," he laughs.
"We're not touching the Coney recipe, we're not touching the rice pudding recipe, we're not going to change the way we are doing things," says Christoff.
But Christoff is planning to spruce things up with some new flooring, brighter outdoor lighting…and extended hours.
"This is a family place, and we're going to light it up, and make it easy….quick, inexpensive — what do you call it? — comfort food," he promises.
With improvements at the two family restaurants on this block, and the shuttering of an adult entertainment business by its new owner, Jackson's "Coney District" looks set to help shape the future of Jackson's East Side.
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