♪ >> Koney King sits on the corner of 46th and Broadway in Gary.

They offer burgers, fries, Polish sausages, and yep, you guessed it, a mean Koney dog!

Just ask any of the Glen Park locals.

>> I usually get the Koney dog.

That's my favorite.

>> Koney dog.

It's just a little different.

They add the onions, mustard, always good.

>> Koney dog with cheese and everything on it.

>> Koney dog, man.

Always.

I get the exact same thing every time.

Koney dog with chili and onions.

>> You can't get away from the Koney dog with mustard and onion.

You cannot!

>> And it's that chili sauce that keeps people coming back, no matter what you put it on!

>> Well, you gotta get the chili.

Chili burger, chili fries, the chili Polish, the chili hot dog.

You gotta get the chili.

>> Double chili cheeseburger.

>> And I went with a Koney grilled Polish.

>> The double chili cheeseburger with everything on it, ketchup, mustard, onion and pepper, and then I take a few fries and stick 'em in there.

>> My favorite thing is the Koney Polish and the chili cheese fries.

I had some earlier.

They're real good.

The chili sauce is really good today.

>> And these folks know what they're talking about.

This isn't their first time inside Koney King.

>> I've probably been coming here 30 years.

>> Hmm, about a good 20 years.

>> My grandfather used to always come here.

So it's just always been in the family to come.

>> And I can remember almost 50 years.

>> I would say 20.

>> Since I was in high school.

>> I grew up here.

So all the time.

>> My brother-in-law introduced me to Jimmy about two years ago, and I've been a customer ever since.

>> We got some of the finest ingredients that make some of the best chili.

>> Jimmy is James Hendricks.

He runs the place these days, but the restaurant had been in the hands of the same family for nearly 100 years.

>> Mike Petroff started the shop back in 1920, and it stayed in his family all the way up to 2018.

>> Paul was the third owner of Koney King, and I was Paul's barber.

So in the midst of being his barber for about maybe four or five years, he decided he was done with Koney King.

He was 75, ready to retire, and he just offered the opportunity to really take the building.

Let's be clear.

Koney King was not up for sale for the business, but I didn't know that day one.

A couple weeks in, I'm, like, when you gonna show me how to make the chili?

He's, like, I wasn't selling you that.

You know, he thought that the business was so far gone.

So with that, we agreed that I wanted to continue the legacy on.

He showed me, and here we are today.

>> And if you ask Hendricks for that recipe, he'll give you the same answer he gives everyone else.

>> That would be a no.

You know, I was honored enough to have it passed down to me, and the next wave would hopefully be my grandson, and to keep continuing on, you know?

But that's a legit question, and it happens all the time.

>> But he did walk us through some of the process, leaving out the trade secrets, of course.

>> This is every day.

We make chili fresh every day, sometimes two, three times a day.

You don't have one of these, you're not making real Koney sauce, period.

No cans being opened.

No, this is all 100% fresh ingredients.

It's a no tomatoes or bean sauce that's been in business now for 104 years.

You could get the burger, the dog, the fries, with an add chili to all of them.

Everything on this menu is exceptional.

>> And since Hendricks still cuts hair at his shop next door, a lot of folks come around for a cut and a Koney.

>> Next to the barbershop, Jimmy cut my hair, and then afterwards, I come over here and patronize the restaurant.

>> So of course the fellows in the barbershop have big opinions on what to get next door.

>> The number two.

>> The dog, the burger.

>> Number two with some onions and fries.

>> That double chili cheeseburger.

You get that, that will fill you up.

But it fills you up.

It's good.

>> What do I get?

Absolutely everything.

I love everything.

I frequented it for years.

>> I get an egg sandwich.

>> Egg cheese sandwich is the bomb.

>> People in this neighborhood see Koney King as a lot more than just a hot dog shop.

>> It's an old staple in the community.

So it's always good to come back to support.

It's always good food too.

>> I look it as a social location.

You can sit and discuss current events.

You know, I think it's an asset to the community.

>> Make you think of that song from "Cheers" where everybody knows your name.

>> And Hendricks understands the value of a place like Koney King better than anyone.

>> I mean it was a pleasure and an honor to actually get this handed down.

A lot of people depend on this place.

We see people five times a week.

We depend on the customers and they depend on us.

I don't think that Glen Park would be the same without Koney King.