x
Breaking News
More () »

Making Macon: Nu-Way Weiners

Since 1916, Nu-Way has cooked its way into the hearts of Central Georgia

Burgers, fries, famous flaky ice and of course, the atomic red weiners.

Nu-Way Weiners is a family owned business, and since 1916 they have been cooking their way into the hearts of Central Georgia.

In 1916, founder Jim Mallas was a Greek immigrant coming to Macon from New York's Ellis Island.

"He saw the hot dog craze up in New York City and when he saw all the crowds at Cherry Street in Macon, he noticed there weren't any hot dogs," said current co-owner and president James Cacavias.

And thus, Nu-Way Weiners was born.

"That makes us the second oldest hot dog stand in America…second only to Nathan's up in Coney Island," Cacavias said.

The original Cotton Avenue location burned down in March 2015 and hasn't re-opened.

Cacavias is the third generation to take over the business and looks back at a century of ups and downs.

"I can't believe 100 years and it's still going... the nostalgia just bleeds from the walls all over this place," he said.

He can remember when he was just 9-years-old and working.

"I couldn’t even reach the weiners on the back of the grill with the fork," Cacavias laughed.

His first cousin and co-owner, Spyros Dermatas, says they've been together from the bottom up since their teens.

"You know come Friday night in junior high school, we were expected to be at one of the stores," Dermatas said.

The cousins say their staff, mixed with quality food and low prices, are the perfect recipe that helps them continue Making Macon.

According to Cacavias, Nu-Way is the oldest restaurant not only in Central Georgia, but in the entire state.

Fun fact: When they opened their Houston Avenue location in 1962, they were one of the first fast food restaurants in the Southeast with a drive thru.

Before You Leave, Check This Out