Maryann Struman and Susan Selasky | Detroit Free Press

Restaurateur George Keros, who developed the proprietary chili and hot dog recipes that would define Detroit's beloved Lafayette Coney Island, died on Jan. 24 in Naperville, Illinois.

He was 87.

Keros, formerly of Bloomfield Hills, was born and raised in Detroit where his parents, Vasili and Anastasia, settled in 1910 after emigrating from Peloponnesus, Greece.

Vasili "William" Keros opened Lafayette Coney Island at Lafayette and Griswold, following in the footsteps of his brother, Gust Keros, who earlier had opened American Coney Island. The two brothers operated their establishments side by side.

George Keros worked at his father's restaurant throughout his youth.

Waters Funeral Home

Keros was promoted to night manager when he was just 10 years old and continued to learn the business while attending school.

Keros’ son, William (Bill), fondly remembers the stories about his dad working that night shift.

Afterward, he would take the streetcar home at 4 a.m. holding a "brown paper bag with that night’s receipts to give to his father."

He graduated from Cooley High School in 1949 and enrolled at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he majored in business administration and played on the football and baseball teams.

He served in the Korean War in the U.S. Army, assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. He fought in combat and received two Bronze Stars for valor.

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Photos: Lafayette Coney Island

At Lafayette Coney Island, Keros took over for his father in late 1970 upon his death. He operated the business until 1991, when he transferred ownership of the restaurant to its employees.

"What he tried to imbue … he figured that if he was going into the hot dog business, he made it very clear that he was going to make the best damn hot dog he could as a matter of pride, no matter what it cost,” Keros said.

"He worked with a sausage company on the east side to make the best hot dog," Kero said.

When he wasn't satisfied with the chili, Keros said, he modified it with his own recipe.

“He was down in the basement trying different things until he literally cooked up the best combination of chili, mustard, hot dog and onions.”

Keros said his father was a towering figure, not only in the way he carried himself in general and with his family, “but in conjunction with my grandfather and the coney islands of Detroit." It’s worth noting, Keros said, that many of the coney chains in the area are relatives.



“Leo’s are my cousins, Kirby's and National are all cousins,” he said. “They all came through and were largely shepherded by my dad.”

Grace Keros, co-owner of American Coney Island, is also a cousin. The two side-by-side coneys have been longtime rivals.

Bill Keros said he talked to his dad not long ago about the rivalry with American Coney Island. It's one of Detroit's well-known rivalries. In 2003, the Food Network paid a visit, shooting an episode for a show at that time.

The rivalry, Keros said, was always within the context of a familial relationship and said the families got along.

“You had a competition in business, but when it was time for dinner or whatever else, all that vaporized. It was always underneath the greater context of the family relationship. But, in the end, no one gave each other a bigger hug than my dad and his cousin Chuck, the owner of the American.”

Bill Keros spoke of his father’s loyalty and generosity in helping out employees of Lafayette when needed as well as others.

“If there was a homeless guy out in the cold, he would bring him and give him a hot dog and a coffee,” Bill Keros said. “It’s those scenes that's replayed thousands of times. The same type of thing in one way or another was his standard.”

In 2017, George Keros moved to Naperville, Illinois, about an hour outside of Chicago, to be with his daughter, Leslie.

His wife, Mary Keros, daughter, Serena Mary, and brother, Anthony, preceded him in death.

Besides son Bill Keros, also surviving are son Steven, daughter, Leslie and Sandra and five grandchildren.

Funeral information for George Keros

Visitation for George Keros will be held 3-8 p.m. Friday at Lynch & Sons Funeral Home, 1368 N. Crooks Road, Clawson. A funeral service is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 43816 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills

Burial with military honors will take place in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, in the spring. Memorials may be made to Alternatives for Girls, 903 W. Grand Boulevard, Detroit, Michigan 48208, alternativesforgirls.org or Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Development Office, 1820 Mount Elliott St., Detroit, Michigan 48207, cskdetroit.org.