TULSA, Okla. — Downtown Tulsa is mourning the loss of Jimmy Economou, owner of Coney Island Hot Weiners Shop, which was started by his father in 1926.
“Always smiling, cooking, knew the business, made sure everything was done right,” said Darren Francisco, who has frequented Coney Island for years. He said he has three cheese coneys with everything on it about once a week.
Jimmy’s sister, Georgia Tsilekas, said because her parents were Greek immigrants, her brother found joy in employing immigrants.
“Give them a leg up,” she said. “And a lot of those people opened up restaurants of their own in Tulsa.”
After graduating from the University of Tulsa, Jimmy became a music teacher. When his father got older, he took over the family business and played a pivotal role in the restaurant’s success.
Jimmy’s son, Chris, said Coney Island is a constant for Tulsans despite the changes in downtown.
“The only thing that hasn’t changed is the coney and the chili, which makes the coney,” he said.
Chris believes his dad would want to be remembered for his commitment to family and the church.
“That he did his duty to the family and continued the business,” he said.
A retired lawyer, Chris started working at the restaurant during COVID-19 staffing issues. He will now keep it running with the same kindness as his father. Hopefully, he jokes.
“It’s something I aspire to. I don’t have it right now, as I was a lawyer for 40 years,” he said.
Coney Island is known for its desk chairs and its owner, Jimmy, who was a standup guy. Darren has since made Coney Island a family tradition.
“All my kids grew up on coneys, and now my grandkids are growing up on coneys,” he said.
That’s exactly the way Jimmy would want it.
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