72oz. STEAK FACTS & STATS

Klondike Bill ate two.

Klondike Bill, a professional wrestler, consumed two of the dinners in the one hour time limit back in the 1960s.

Richard LeFavre, from Nevada, ate two of the steaks on the Donny and Marie Show in the 1990s.

 

Grandmother ate it.

The oldest person to eat the steak was a 69 year-old grandmother.

The youngest person to eat the steak was an 11 year-old boy.

Carlene and Richard Lefevre, a couple from Henderson, NV, have eaten the steak dinner at least 10 times since their first attempt 1995. Both of them usually complete the meal in less than 30 minutes.

Frank Pastore, who was a professional pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, ate the complete steak dinner in 9 and 1/2 minutes (May 3, 1987). Pastore actually has eaten the steak dinner seven times. On his first effort, in February 1976, he finished the steak in 21 minutes. He held that record for 21 years.

THE CURRENT CHAMP
The record was broken by Joey Chestnut on March 24, 2008. He ate the entire meal in 8 minutes and 52 seconds.

Joey, seated , with Big Texan owners Danny & Bobby Lee and Dianna Lee Magill

 

It was an ordinary spring evening, March 24, 2008. The sky was overcast and the wind was blowing gusts of 20 miles per hour. Just another day in the Panhandle.

Joey Chestnut pulled up in the parking lot of The Big Texan on his new motorcycle.

Inside, he announced, “I’m here to try the big steak!” Sean Hamm from Drexel Hill, PA, gives his account. “My brother and I were on our way to California. We decided to have dinner at The Big Texan. I heard this guy say he was going to try to eat the big steak. When I saw the steak meal I thought, ‘This guy is not going to be able to finish this!’” “Then, it wasn’t long until the staff starting realizing this was something different. A lot of the customers stood up and crowded around the table, so it was difficult to see. After about four minutes, I realized that this was something to witness! I stood up on a chair.”

“At about seven minutes, that guy finished the steak and started in on the salad, shrimp, potato and roll. It was pure pandemonium. He was grabbing the potato and salad with his hands. Then, he was done. All that food in 8:52 minutes! I’ve never seen anything like it! Everyone in the restaurant was on their feet applauding. My friends and I came for a good meal and got to witness history!”

Joey “Jaws” Chestnut is currently ranked number One by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. He holds gobs of records, is just 24 years old and is simply the best competitive eater in the world, who will likely go on to break every record there is.

The unofficial record for the fastest time belongs to a 500-pound Bengal Tiger owned by Benjamin Heiple of Florida. His meal was limited to the steak only and he dined in the front of the building. The technique was the simplest we've ever seen: sniff, lick, gulp! It took him less than 90 seconds.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not brought six pre-qualified contestants from across the United States. Only one of them finished, yet a 120 pound lady reporter from The Wall Street Journal earned her T-shirt, certificate and no leftovers.

As the famous steak's reputation grew, so did the price. The meal was originally priced at $9.95. By the mid 1990s the price had climbed to $39.50. The popularity of the Texas beef drove the price of the meal to $50.00 just before the millennium. Last year higher market prices for cattle pushed the price to $72.00. If you come in to test your gastronomic skills, don't be offended if they ask for a payment on the meal before you begin eating. It's been our experience that – win or lose – everybody who tackles the FREE 72-oz. Steak dinner has trouble reaching in their hip pocket for a wallet after they push back from the table. We happily refund the money to the winners. We also give them a T-shirt, a souvenir boot mug and a certificate. They can add their comments to the winners on the "Wall of Fame" next to the lobby display, and then we'll add their photo to the gallery of recent winners. Their names go into the permanent list of Champions.