From left, are: State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D-121st); Vincent Sperduto, State Sen. Marty Flynn’s office; Kelley and Bill Obeid; Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown; and Dr. Hunter Obeid celebrate the 100th anniversary of Abe’s Hot Dogs on Barney Street in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. Pashinski and Sperduto both awarded the Obeids with citations, and Brown with a city proclamation and key to the city.
Marcella Kester | For Times Leader
Abe’s Hot Dogs on Barney Street holds centennial celebration
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Abe’s Hot Dogs on Barney Street in Wilkes-Barre celebrated it’s 100th anniversary on Saturday. The popular eatery is the first restaurant in the city to celebrate 100 years and has been cited as bringing the first hot dog to Wilkes-Barre.
Marcella Kester | For Times Leader
Abe’s Hot Dogs owner Bill Obeid talked with longtime customers, friends and family as he prepared hundreds of free hot dogs during the restaurant’s 100th anniversary on Barney Street Saturday.
Marcella Kester | For Times Leader
More than 60 people gathered outside of Abe’s Hot Dogs on Barney Street in Wilkes-Barre in anticipation of their 100th anniversary celebration on Saturday. The day was filled with food, fun and live entertainment.
Marcella Kester | For Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — Call it whatever you like: Coney, wiener, frankfurter, red hot — or as most Northeast Pennsylvanians know it, a hot dog.
Abe’s Hot Dogs, 210 Barney St., Wilkes-Barre has been serving up the household staple for 100 years, and enjoyed the milestone with a celebration of their own on Saturday.
The beloved eatery has been owned and operated by the Obeid family since its establishment in 1924.
Abe’s Hot Dogs was founded by Abraham Obeid, who found a home in Wilkes-Barre as a Syrian refugee fleeing the Ottoman Empire — a story Wilkes-Barre Mayor Geroge Brown told onlookers before presenting two awards during the celebration.
Like many immigrants, Obeid pursued the American dream, and decided to build a restaurant.
Abraham wouldn’t know it, but his dream would live a century — and become the first restaurant in the city to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
“This takes a great deal of commitment,” State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, said while presenting the Obeid’s with a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. “You cannot possibly maintain a quality business without dedication, hard work and sacrifice — and Mr. and Mrs. Obeid have certainly done that time and time again.”
Aside from hitting milestones, both the crowd and Mayor Brown himself learned that Abe’s Hot Dogs had provided the city with yet another achievement — the savory snack itself.
Brown said Abe’s itself brought the hot dog to Wilkes-Barre, introducing the staple meal to the community for the first time.
“Is that right, Billy? First hot dog in Wilkes-Barre?” Brown asked.
“That’s right,” Billy Obeid replied.
The idea came to Abraham after passing through Coney Island and seeing hot dogs thrive, watching as folks grabbed them to eat lunch on the go.
Brown claimed June 8 as “Abe’s Hotdogs Day” and awarded the family with a key to the city.
Abe’s has been passed down in the family across four generations, and at one point operated five locations across the Wyoming Valley. Abraham’s grandson, Bill, owns the business with his wife, Kelley. Their son, Dr. Hunter Obeid, has also been working at the establishment off and on for the last 15 years.
As patrons enjoyed free ice cream and hot dogs, live music and more, Joanne Lacey said she stopped by with her friends to congratulate the Obeid family on their success.
“It’s exciting because you don’t hear of a business doing that well these days. I grew up in this neighborhood. … it was a steadfast in the neighborhood growing up, and it really hasn’t changed that much,” she said. “We showed up to support (Bill) and his family.”
As Bill and Kelley Obeid began preparing to cook hundreds of their classic hot dogs, Hunter Obeid took a moment to let the anniversary sink in.
“It feels very special. I think the most special thing is going around and seeing my great-grandfather’s picture on the wall and remembering that while we always look to the future and always try to grow and progress our business, we’re always reminded of what came before us,” he said. “And there’s so much pride in that moment.”