It's been nearly a century since the Papaya King started serving the unlikely combination of all-beef hot dogs and tropical juices. It became a New York thing. In 1975, Papaya King franchisee Nicholas Gray closed his Upper West Side franchise and re-opened as Gray's Papaya. It was built on the same menu, but had the added seasoning of Gray's in-your-face promotion. A dog and a juice at Gray's Papaya (grayspapaya.nyc) became the way that everyone from struggling folksingers to late-night sanitation workers managed to get a tasty bite and keep going. Gray's soon eclipsed the original Papaya King, with multiple locations around the city. Changing economic conditions and pricey real estate have taken their toll on the papaya-hot dog business, closing down the Papaya Kings...Read More