Tony Packo's Cafe

Tony Packo's Cafe is a restaurant that started in the Hungarian neighborhood of Birmingham, on the east side of Toledo, Ohio at 1902 Front Street. The restaurant became famous when it was mentioned in several M*A*S*H episodes and is noted for its signature sandwich and large collection of hot dog buns signed by celebrities.

During the depression in 1932, Tony Packo used a $100 loan to open his shop, which originally sold only sandwiches and ice cream. In 1935, the Packo family purchased the current wedge-shaped building on the corner of Front and Consaul streets next to the Maumee River, which includes the former Consaul Tavern.

Tony's signature "sausage-and-sauce sandwich" on rye was first made when he decided to add a spicy chili sauce to his sandwiches for more flavor. Eventually, his creation became known as the "Hungarian hot dog", even though no such thing had come from the Old Country. The dish quickly became popular and the cafe is now billed as "the place where man bites dog". The "hot dog" is really a Hungarian sausage called Kolbász, not unlike the Polish kielbasa, about twice the diameter of a conventional hot dog, and slicing the sausage in half yields about the same amount of meat.

Nancy Packo Horvath took control of the business in 1962 when her father Tony Packo became seriously ill. Founder Tony Packo died in 1963 at 55 years of age. In 1968, Ms. Horvath's brother Tony Packo Jr. joined the company at age 20. The company had a long period of growth in the late 1960s under the leadership of Ms. Horvath and her brother.

The Packos started in the packaged food business in 1980 after Merco Foods agreed to carry a line of pickles.