HOLYOKE – While Jenn Chateauneuf and her husband Kevin have only owned Nick’s Nest for 16 years, they’re celebrating 100 years of hot dogs at the eatery.

Jenn said in a typical year they’d host an in-person event to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the establishment at 1597 Northampton St. known for their hot dogs across Western Massachusetts. “Usually we’re able to do a celebration, but with COVID we’re trying to change that,” she said.

Instead of the typical celebration, instead, she said they were going to do something small each month at the restaurant to mark the occasion. They kicked off the event in January with a gift certificate giveaway and continued on Feb. 21 by donating 25 percent of their total sales to the South Hadley boys hockey team. Jenn said they had been “fortunate with the weather” during the fundraiser and throughout the day a total of $500 was raised for the team.

While the whole year’s events had not been planned, she said so far they had planned for “wacky hot dog toppings” during the month of March. Additionally, she said they had purchased 500 individual magnets and keychains honoring their 100th anniversary. At $3, she said they were hoping to sell all of them and donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the Holyoke Children’s Museum, with a goal of raising $3,000.

While the establishment has maintained their hot dog royalty reputation, she said they had made some changes along the way since purchasing Nick’s Nest. “When we first bought the place it was just the staples, hot dogs, beans and popcorn,” she said. “We opened the soft serve [ice cream window] a year after. We’re trying to add without taking away from the hot dog.”

Additions to the menu, she said, were French fries, onion rings and soups. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic she said they’ve also added menu items such as chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, cheese curds and waffle fries.

Monthly anniversary events and other updates for Nick’s Nest can be found on their Facebook page and their website, nicksnestholyoke.com.