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Private company

Dixie Chili and Deli

Logo: The logo may be obtained from Dixie Chili and Deli., Non-free logo, via Wikipedia3

Restaurant chain in the U.S. state of Kentucky

Dixie Chili and Deli, originally Dixie Chili, is a chain of three Cincinnati chili restaurants located in the Northern Kentucky area of Greater Cincinnati. Dixie Chili is famous for their chili, coneys, and sandwiches. Greek immigrant Nicholas Sarakatsannis founded the first location in 1929 in Newport, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from the city of Cincinnati.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1929Founded1

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Dixie Chili and Deli, originally Dixie Chili, is a chain of three Cincinnati chili restaurants located in the Northern Kentucky area of Greater Cincinnati. Dixie Chili is famous for their chili, coneys, and sandwiches. Greek immigrant Nicholas Sarakatsannis founded the first location in 1929 in Newport, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from the city of Cincinnati. Today the company also has locations in Erlanger and Covington, additionally distributing a canned version of their chili product in supermarkets in the Cincinnati and Kentucky area, as well as in some Kroger stores in the Dayton, Ohio area.2

The story

Nicholas Sarakatsannis immigrated to the United States from Greece in 1912 at the age of 15 in order to escape hostilities between the Greeks and the Turks. He landed a series of jobs in restaurants and the food industry, eventually arriving in Cincinnati. In 1928, he began working for Empress Chili, the original Cincinnati-style chili parlor. His first day on the job he made nine gallons of chili.

He soon became convinced he could develop his own recipe and open his own chili parlor. Searching the region on buses between split shifts for a location that would not be in competition with Empress, Sarakatsannis found a location in Newport, Kentucky on Monmouth Street, the city's primary business district. The first Dixie Chili restaurant opened its doors in 1929, the year the Great Depression began in the United States and is still a family-owned company.

From Wikipedia’s article on Dixie Chili and Deli, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Products and brands

  • Cincinnati chili

Listed on Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1929Founded Founded1

Sources

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