First Look: Nathan's debuts new restaurant format

The newest Nathan's restaurant is located in the southeastern Charlotte suburb of Rock Hill, S.C.

Nathan’s Famous is expanding its presence in the Charlotte area – through a new store design.

The chain, known for its hot dogs and other New York favorites, has opened its newest franchised location in Rock Hill, S.C., a suburb of Charlotte, which features a new free-standing restaurant design. The new design features “modern New York City loft-style elements” next to "classic features of historic architecture" while also featuring a state-of-the-art drive-thru experience with a double drive-thru and enhanced POS system.

"We’ve opened and remodeled many new franchised and licensed locations in travel plazas, airports and other inline units, but this is the first free-standing restaurant with our new design, and we are incredibly happy with how it turned out," states Phil McCann, VP of marketing at Nathan’s Famous. “We have a tremendous local franchise partner dedicated to bringing the Flavor of New York to its community of Rock Hill and we’re excited to see the local community embrace Nathan’s Famous.”

Image courtesy of Nathan's Famous.
Image courtesy of Nathan's Famous.
Image courtesy of Nathan's Famous.
Image courtesy of Nathan's Famous.
Image courtesy of Nathan's Famous.
Image courtesy of Nathan's Famous.
Image courtesy of Nathan's Famous.
Image courtesy of Nathan's Famous.
Image courtesy of Nathan's Famous.

Nathan’s operates more than 200 restaurants worldwide. According to its most recent quarterly results, Nathan’s opened 24 franchised locations during the fiscal 2025 period.

Nathan’s currently distributes its products in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and 20 foreign countries through its restaurant system, foodservice sales programs, product licensing activities, and manufacturing.

“We love this new store design, and we’ve taken great care to add local flair to make this truly a one-of-a-kind Nathan’s Famous,” said Lydia Morales, co-owner and general manager of the new Rock Hill location. “We hope that the community loves it as much as we do!”