On a recent rainy day I ventured there because the 24-hour diner, which brews fresh coffee every 20 minutes, is also home of the Mt. Olympus: a 50-pound hamburger.
Yes, that's right: 50 pounds of beef on a homemade bun with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and more calories than you could ever imagine.
If five people can eat the burger in three hours or less it is free, plus the stuffed customers split a $1,000 prize. Otherwise, they have to pay the $159.95 bill.
It's like an arms race and if it were an arms race, this latest salvo is the equivalent of the atom bomb. It more than doubled the previous offering and, well, just look at the picture below.
I have to admit that I still wish that I could take a road trip and see this burger. I just don't have any friends who would find that sort of thing to be even mildly entertaining. I've noticed that gay guys don't seem to be all that keen on eating things larger than their heads (well, with perhaps a single caveat). Maybe it's just stereotyping but I've yet to run across a gay competitive eater. It's not like I actually think that 4 of my friends and I could actually finish this sucker, but I think it'd almost be worth the price just to see it.
And now that I've mentioned the price, I should say that I find that sort of disheartening too. A burger half this size cost $30 3 years ago. This monstrosity now boasts a price tag of more than 5 times the original. Paying 5 times the price for double the size just doesn't seem right. Ya, ya, I know all about inflation. It just seems sorta hard to defend a rate increase of over 250%.
Hmmm. It might be hard to slice but this would also make for a nice item for a party. I mean, they have 6' subs and the like. Who wouldn't want to go to a christmas party where you gnaw away at a 50 lb burger? *sigh* I just don't think I'm ever going to get to see this thing. By the next time I see a news article about it, it'll probably be the size of a small truck.