The Legend of Falls View:

Home of the Original "Hot Texas Weiner"

New Jersey’s Great Gift to Good Eating
The father of the Hot Texas Wiener, and undoubtedly the man who gave it its name is John Patrellis. John left his native Greece around the turn of the twentieth century, bound for Paterson, New Jersey. His uncle had promised John employment in the successful hotdog concession he had created in the old Manhattan Hotel on Paterson Street.

Big Bang Theory
At the opposite end of Paterson Street, Tarapada’s chili house bragged that it had the hottest chili in town. Between the hotel and Tarapada’s, lined up one after another, were nine saloons. All the necessary ingredients were in place for the Hot Texas Wiener to come into existence: Tarapada’s chili; nine saloons; and of course, wieners. It is speculated that in all this high-spirited chaos, somebody’s chili spilled on somebody else’s hot dog. Thus, the Hot Texas Weiner was born.

The Original Hot Texas Wiener
Admittedly, some of the foregoing may contain elements of speculation. But we know from John Sagarius, who went to work for Patrellis in 1956 and later acquired the business, that Patrellis bought his uncle’s hot dog stand in 1920, and changed its name to The Original Hot Texas Wiener.

Falls View Opens its Doors in 1949.

In the 40’s and 50’s, the most ambitious of John’s employees left and opened Hot Texas Wiener joints of their own. In 1949, three brothers George, Bill and Chris Betts opened the first Falls View in what is now the Great Falls Historic District.