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Tony Packo's Cafe
Tony Packo's Cafe is a restaurant chain rooted in the Hungarian neighborhood of Birmingham, on the east side of Toledo, Ohio, at 1902 Front Street. Founded in 1932, the restaurant became famous when it was mentioned in several episodes of the 1972–83 *M*A*S*H* television series. Dubbed "Toledo's most famous eatery" and "a Toledo institution," it is noted for its signature Hungarian Hot Dog sandwich and large collection of celebrity-signed hot dog buns displayed on its walls.
As of 2026, Tony Packo's operates as TP Foods LLC. It has four restaurant locations in the greater Toledo area and offers catering services. A Packo's line of packaged food products is sold in grocery and retail stores across the United States.
Tony Packo was born in 1908 to Hungarian immigrant parents and was a native of Toledo's East Side. He learned the restaurant trade while working for at the Consaul Tavern, owned by his older brother John.
In 1932, during the Great Depression, Tony and his wife Rose used a $100 loan to open a small sandwich and ice cream shop. Three years later, the Packo family purchased the wedge-shaped (flatiron-style) building that held the former Consaul Tavern at the corner of Front and Consaul Streets, next to the Maumee River. This building became home to what is today the Original Tony Packo's Restaurant.
In 1935, Tony Packo trademarked his signature dish: the "Hungarian Hot Dog". The sandwich features a Hungarian sausage called kolbász, similar to Polish kielbasa, served sliced in half on rye bread with spicy chili sauce.
When Tony became seriously ill in 1962, his daughter Nancy Packo Horvath took over operations. Tony Packo died the following year at the age of 55. His son Tony Packo Jr. joined the company in 1968 at the age of 20, and the siblings led growth in the late 1960s.
Actor Burt Reynolds visited Toledo in 1972, while starring in a local production of The Rainmaker, he stopped at Packo's on the suggestion of Tony's daughter, Nancy. Reynolds became the first celebrity to sign a hot dog bun at the restaurant, inadvertently beginning a tradition that has continued for over five decades. The collection, known as the "Bun Wall of Fame", has grown to include signatures from presidents, actors, musicians, and astronauts. Today, the autographs are placed on foam airbrushed replicas of the original buns and displayed on the walls of Packo's restaurants.
The company entered the packaged food business in 1980, when Merco Foods agreed to distribute a line of pickles under the Packo's family brand.
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Tony Packo's Cafe
Tony Packo's Cafe is a restaurant chain rooted in the Hungarian neighborhood of Birmingham, on the east side of Toledo, Ohio, at 1902 Front Street. Founded in 1932, the restaurant became famous when it was mentioned in several episodes of the 1972–83 *M*A*S*H* television series. Dubbed "Toledo's most famous eatery" and "a Toledo institution," it is noted for its signature Hungarian Hot Dog sandwich and large collection of celebrity-signed hot dog buns displayed on its walls.
As of 2026, Tony Packo's operates as TP Foods LLC. It has four restaurant locations in the greater Toledo area and offers catering services. A Packo's line of packaged food products is sold in grocery and retail stores across the United States.
Tony Packo was born in 1908 to Hungarian immigrant parents and was a native of Toledo's East Side. He learned the restaurant trade while working for at the Consaul Tavern, owned by his older brother John.
In 1932, during the Great Depression, Tony and his wife Rose used a $100 loan to open a small sandwich and ice cream shop. Three years later, the Packo family purchased the wedge-shaped (flatiron-style) building that held the former Consaul Tavern at the corner of Front and Consaul Streets, next to the Maumee River. This building became home to what is today the Original Tony Packo's Restaurant.
In 1935, Tony Packo trademarked his signature dish: the "Hungarian Hot Dog". The sandwich features a Hungarian sausage called kolbász, similar to Polish kielbasa, served sliced in half on rye bread with spicy chili sauce.
When Tony became seriously ill in 1962, his daughter Nancy Packo Horvath took over operations. Tony Packo died the following year at the age of 55. His son Tony Packo Jr. joined the company in 1968 at the age of 20, and the siblings led growth in the late 1960s.
Actor Burt Reynolds visited Toledo in 1972, while starring in a local production of The Rainmaker, he stopped at Packo's on the suggestion of Tony's daughter, Nancy. Reynolds became the first celebrity to sign a hot dog bun at the restaurant, inadvertently beginning a tradition that has continued for over five decades. The collection, known as the "Bun Wall of Fame", has grown to include signatures from presidents, actors, musicians, and astronauts. Today, the autographs are placed on foam airbrushed replicas of the original buns and displayed on the walls of Packo's restaurants.
The company entered the packaged food business in 1980, when Merco Foods agreed to distribute a line of pickles under the Packo's family brand.