Callahan's is gone, but the same owner is opening a new hot dog joint in Westwood

Callahan's, the legendary hot dog institution that began life nearly three-quarters of a century ago in Fort Lee and broke hearts when it closed after it was revived by the founder's grandson, is no more.

That's according to the founder's grandson, Daniel DeMiglio.

DeMiglio is now opening 1950 Originals, a hot-dog spot in Westwood, at 325 Broadway, which for 16 years housed Jack's Cafe.

"I am opening a brand new business," said DeMiglio, adding that for the first time, the hot dogs he (and his grandfather and parents, who ran Callahan's for seven decades) will be serving proprietary hot dogs, called the Original (pork and beef) and Signature (all beef), created just for his new business by meat wholesaler Thumann's.

"I created a hot dog that no one else has," he said. "Not Callahan's, not Rutt's, not Hiram's. Only my new company has it." The new hot dogs will be deep fried and grilled in the new shop as well as sold in packages at the shop and at grocery stores in the near future.

DeMiglio has also renamed his food trucks to 1950 Originals.

Why the name change?

DeMiglio is circumspect but suggests that his godfather and uncle, Lenny Castrianni whose father, Leonard "Artie" Castrianni, founded Callahan's, is the reason.

"I, Daniel DeMiglio CEO & Founder of 1950 Originals, opened this brand new business to get away from the destruction, dysfunction, misinformation and hatred of one person which sadly was my own godfather," DeMilglio posted on social media. "I wanted to pursue my own American dream and grow without being held back time after time. So I simply left and I NEVER changed or rebranded."

Lenny Castrianni, 72, said that the fallout has to do with a licensing agreement that DeMiglio refused to sign. He declined to go into the specifics but said that "no one has ever stopped" DeMiglio from using the name. Castrianni, along with his younger brother and his sister, DeMiglio's mother, own the Callahan trademark. In order to keep it protected, the trademark has to be renewed every 10 years and the business has to be in operation, Castrianni said. Keeping the business going is, he said, why he sells Callahan's T-shirts and hats at a kiosk in the Paramus Park Mall.

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"The trademark has value," Castrianni said. "It is a gift from our father."

Three years after DeMiglio revived his grandfather's beloved business, first as a food truck and then as a brick-and-mortar shop in Norwood, Castrianni opened a second Callahan's in Fort Lee, the hometown of the original Callahan's. It was called Callahan's Hot Dog Emporium. Six months later, Castrianni's shop closed.

DeMiglio's shop closed in 2020 because of major road construction on Broad Street that cut his earnings by 60% and the COVID-19 pandemic that devastated the restaurant industry.

DeMiglio, who has a huge social media following, maintained that Callahan's name doesn't "mean anything. It's the people (that matter)."

He has assembled a staff for his new venture that includes his previous chef, Daniel Fabian (his new title, chief product officer) and chief marketing officer and president Melissa Ibarra, formerly a digital producer for Conde Nast with a robust social media presence (check out her Mel_vs_Food Instagram account). They, along with chief financial officer Michael Materasso and chief operating officer Keith Sacco, are partners in the business, DeMiglio said.

"Everything is going to be different," Ibarra said, "The new place is a nice, fresh start."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Callahan's in Fort Lee NJ closed, owner opening new hot dog spot