Mature Resources - Senior Spotlight

By Sharon Sultan Cutler

Chicago, Illinois

It’s true – I’m just wild about Harry!  We met quite by accident one recent afternoon after I stopped for a late lunch at the East of Eden’s restaurant, right outside Chicago.  As I ate my BLT, I noticed a little bald gentleman washing tables.  Then I saw him prepare several booths for future diners. Soon he was getting his cup of lollipops ready for the after-school crowd of kids.

He simply didn’t stop.

Minutes later I glanced at his white T-shirt which said “Only fools retire” on the back and “New Hire: 100 Years Young” on the front.

I knew Harry had a story or two to share with me, but I didn’t realize that Harry, the hot dog man, was a Chicago institution,  loved and revered by thousands of people and a couple of Mayor Daleys who frequented his Little Snack Shop and Harry’s Hot Dog Stand downtown for over 55 years.

Through research on the internet and our in-person interview, I learned Harry Heftman immigrated to America from “somewhere” in Eastern Europe as a child. Harry told me that during the Great Depression he worked in a Chicago grocery store, and bought food for the really poor people who couldn’t afford it.  In order to pay for the merchandise, Harry borrowed money from a wealthier friend of his. He never had to pay his friend back.

During his years running Harry’s Hot Dog Stand, he did the same thing -- offering free food to anyone who needed it.

Harry wanted to continue running his business in the Loop, even after half-a-century, but his landlord sold the building to the City of Chicago so it could be excavated and turned into a park.  His departure from Randolph Street made newspaper headlines, and left hundreds of business people without an eatery to call home.

Not content to stay home in the suburbs, even at 100, he went back to work for Peter Spyropoulus, a neighbor and owner of several restaurants.  Harry currently works four days a week (not on Wednesdays) from 2 PM to 5 PM, doing whatever is necessary to keep the restaurant clean and inviting.

Harry still gets a kick out of his “celebrity” status.  Last year, 100 of his closest friends and relatives gave him a party for becoming a centenarian.

His best advice for others is to “be good, take care of your family…and enjoy life.”

And that’s exactly what Harry Heftman is doing, each and every day.