Texas wiener eatery prepares for 60th anniversary

VERNON — The Falls View Grill, which operates five locations in northern New Jersey including one in Vernon, and is known for its hot Texas wieners, is beginning to prepare for its 60th anniversary in 2009. The restaurant is in the midst of remaking its menu, organizers said, introducing a new lineup of fresh soups and salads and is looking to expand its school and day care luncheon program as well as its catering business. Falls View Grill has direct ties to the first hot Texas wieners introduced in Paterson in 1920, according to brothers Bill and Bob McEntee, who have operated the restaurants for the past 15 years. The McEntee brothers bought a dilapidated Pequannock restaurant and converted into its first location in October 1994. They convinced Chris Betts, who co-founded, with his brothers, the Falls View Grill in Paterson in 1949, to sell them the “secret” sauce recipe and come out of retirement long enough to oversee their “all the way” wieners. That means the hot dogs are deep-fried in zero trans-fat vegetable shortening, topped with spicy mustard, chopped onions and the distinctive chili sauce. The name “Falls View” refers to the “Great Falls” in Paterson, the site selected by Alexander Hamilton for the country’s first industrial city and the location of the first Texas wiener, according to the restaurateurs. McEntee said the sauce includes ground beef, tomatoes and onion, as well as an array of spices, including cayenne, cinnamon, allspice and cumin. But the percentage of each is still secret. “I create the initial spicy sauce mixture myself,” he said. “Then, the sauce is made in our central commissary, so all five locations are using the same product.” Today, Falls View Grill sells hundreds of thousands of Thuman’s hot dogs, and over 100,000 pounds of prime potatoes annually.