Whoever has visited a fast-food restaurant in the USA might have been surprised by the portion sizes offered by some establishments. For instance, the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas is famous for its gigantic portions of burgers with bacon and fries cooked in lard. In Major League Eating, competitors race to consume the largest quantity of a specific food within a set time. Competitive foods include hot dogs, fries, onions, or butter.
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Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island
One of the most famous timed eating competitions is the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island near New York. Since 1972, approximately 20 qualified competitors have gathered each Independence Day to compete for the “mustard belt.” The winner is the one who eats the most hot dogs within 10 minutes.
Spectators can attend the hot dog eating contest in person by simply traveling to Coney Island. No tickets are required, as the event is free to the public.
When I personally attended Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2009, I was amazed by how popular the event was. Thousands of spectators gathered in the streets to watch, and the sports network ESPN broadcasted the event. American Joey Chestnut defeated Japanese competitor Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi that year, taking home a check for $20,000.
The tradition of eating hot dogs likely began as a marketing stunt on Independence Day in 1972. At the time, student Jason Schechter consumed 14 hot dogs in 3.5 minutes and won a voucher for 40 more hot dogs as the grand prize. The contest has been organized from the beginning by Nathan’s Famous, a fast-food chain specializing in hot dogs.
According to one legend, the first hot dog eating contest was held on July 4, 1916, when a group of four immigrants used it to settle a dispute over who was the greatest patriot. However, it was later revealed that this legend was completely fabricated. Nathan’s promoter Mortimer Matz invented the story in the early 1970s to attract more publicity to the competition.
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30 Competitive Eating Records
Dozens of food-eating contests are held across the USA every year under the auspices of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. Check the schedule to see upcoming events. The prizes for winners vary by event, usually amounting to thousands of dollars.
Would you dare to participate in one of these contests? For reference, you can take a look at the current records for specific foods and quantities consumed.
The information was last updated on January 28, 2025.
Food Quantity Time Limit Record Holder 🥓 Bacon 182 slices 5 minutes Matt Stonie 🥫 Baked Beans 10.00 lb 1:45 minutes Gideon Oji 🧈 Butter 1.75 lb 5 minutes Don Lerman 🥬 Cabbage 6.57 lb 9 minutes Charles Hardy 🍫 Candy Bars 2.00 lb 6 minutes Eric “Badlands” Booker 🌮 Cheese Quesadilla (10.2 cm) 31.5 pcs 5 minutes Sonya Thomas 🍰 Cheesecake 11.00 lb 9 minutes Sonya Thomas 🍗 Chicken Nuggets 220 pcs 8 minutes Patrick Bertoletti 🍗 Chicken Wings 281 pcs 12 minutes Geoffrey Esper 🍗 Chicken Wings 182 pcs 30 minutes Joey Chestnut 🥟 Chinese dumplings 91 pcs 8 minutes Cookie Jarvis 🍫 Chocolate 1.969 lb 7 minutes Patrick Bertoletti 🦞 Crawfish 6.50 lb 10 minutes Sonya Thomas 🍩 Donuts (glazed) 70 pcs 8 minutes James Webb 🍟 French Fries 4.46 lb 6 minutes Cookie Jarvis 🥙 Gyros (227 grams) 30 pcs 10 minutes Joey Chestnut 🍔 Hamburger (0.75 lb) 7 pcs 10 minutes Sonya Thomas 🥚 Hard Boiled Eggs 141 pcs 8 minutes Joey Chestnut 🌭 Hot Dogs 76 pcs 10 minutes Joey Chestnut 🍨 Ice Cream 4.051 litres 12 minutes Cookie Jarvis 🧅 Onion 0.53 lb 1 minute Eric “Badlands” Booker 🥞 Pancakes 50 pcs 10 minutes Patrick Bertoletti 🟢 Peas 9.50 lb 12 minutes Eric “Badlands” Booker 🌰 Pistachios 338 pcs 8 minutes James Webb 🍕 Pizza (61 cm) 7.5 slices 15 minutes Richard “the Locust” LeFevre 🍖 Pork Ribs 13.76 lb 12 minutes Joey Chestnut 🥩 Pulled Pork 9.37 lb 10 minutes Joey Chestnut 🥪 Pulled pork sandwiches 45 pcs 10 minutes Joey Chestnut 🌮 Tacos 53 pcs 10 minutes Joey Chestnut
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