Krystal announced that it will host the first ever World Hamburger Eating Championship.
Billed as the Krystal Square Off® and expected to draw the world’s top competitive eaters, the 11-event hamburger-eating circuit will run throughout the Southeast this Fall, culminating with a final world championship event in Chattanooga on Nov. 13.
Sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE), the Krystal Square Off® World Hamburger Eating Championship will be the first time the IFOCE has crowned a hamburger-eating champion of the world, officials said.
The championship series will feature “The Krystal,” the famous 2.5 inch square Krystal hamburger that has been the restaurant chain’s signature offering since its founding in 1932. While people generally eat Krystal burgers in multiples of three and four, Krystal Square Off® organizers anticipate top gustatory athletes to consume upwards of around 40 to 50 Krystal burgers within the allotted 8-minute eating period.
The Krystal Square Off® World Hamburger Eating Championship will award a $5,000 first prize and is poised to instantly become a major event on the international competitive eating circuit. The winners of each of eleven qualifying events will earn a seat at the final championship table in Chattanooga, where The Krystal Company is headquartered. In addition to the $5,000 first prize, Krystal will offer $1,000 to the second place finisher and $500 to the third place eater.
“It’s about time for a World Hamburger Eating Championship, and Krystal is thrilled to partner with the IFOCE to present it,” said Brad Wahl, Manager of Marketing and Promotions at The Krystal Company. “For the past 70 plus years, friends and families have been devouring Krystals by the sackful, and now we will officially put the challenge out there for all Krystal lovers, hamburger connoisseurs and the sport of competitive eating. While many people expect the big guns of the sport to dominate this competition, we believe local residents with lifelong training regimens of eating multiples of Krystals will be right in the thick of it.”
“The appeal and iconic stature of the Krystal burger, especially throughout the South, is likely to boost participation significantly, and we expect this to be a highly competitive series,” said Richard Shea, President of the IFOCE. “Because of the Krystal’s big taste and alluring aroma, it is possible that some eaters may be distracted from the task at hand, slowing to enjoy the burgers at the expense of their position in the contest.”
Competitive eating’s top athletes currently include: Sonya Thomas, a 100-pound woman from Alexandria, Va., who holds no less than 12 world records, including 432 oysters in 15 minutes and 43 tacos in 11 minutes; Cookie Jarvis, a world champion in disciplines including Ribs, Ice Cream and Corn-on-the-Cob; and Eric ‘Badlands’ Booker, a man
mountain who has eaten 48 donuts in eight minutes.
Information on how to participate in the Krystal Square Off® World Hamburger Eating Championship, including qualifying locations, dates and rules, can be found at www.krystal.com.
The IFOCE, the governing body of all stomach-centric sports, conducts more than 70 events annually, including the Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, NY. The competitive eating community, which numbers more than 3,000 veteran and rookie athletes, travels the nation in search of top titles such as the Krystal Square Off® World Hamburger-Eating Champion.
City Event Dates
Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Lookouts Baseball September 3-6
Nashville, TN Tennessee State Fair September 10-15
Knoxville, TN Tennessee Valley Fair September 17-19
Memphis, TN Mid-South Fair September 24-28
Atlanta/Marietta, GA North Georgia State Fair September 30 – October 3
Macon, GA Georgia National Fair October 8-10
Montgomery, AL Alabama National Fair October 12-13
Jackson, MS Mississippi State Fair October 15-17
Mobile, AL Greater Gulf State Fair October 22-24
Birmingham, AL Sloss Fright Furnace October 29-31
Jacksonville, FL Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair November 3-7
Chattanooga, TN World Hamburger Eating Championship Saturday, November 13