World’s best wing eaters compete for dominance in SoCal on June 27
Hooters today announced the 2015 Hooters Worldwide Wing Eating Championship circuit will kick off in Long Beach, California, on Saturday, June 27 at 3 p.m. A total of 12 eaters, both professional and amateur, will line up behind the competition table for the 10-minute, all-you-can-eat contest at the new Hooters of Long Beach, located at 90 Aquarium Way at The Pike Outlets in Rainbow Harbor.
Hooters is hosting a second qualifying wing-eating contest in Knoxville, Tennessee, on July 12, and the top three eaters from both cities will earn their seats at the championship event at the Original Hooters of Clearwater, Florida, on July 25. There they will compete for $17,500 in cash prizes, one of the largest prizes on the Major League Eating calendar.
This year’s eaters will aim to take the title from Joey “Jaws” Chestnut of San Jose, California, the number-one-ranked eater in the world and reigning Hooters Worldwide Wing Eating Champion. Last summer, Chestnut downed 182 Hooters chicken wings in 10 minutes, edging out arch-rival Matt Stonie for the first time in the wing-eating discipline.
“All of Los Angeles County is invited to witness the first official wing-eating tour stop of the season,” said Andrew Pudduck, vice president of marketing, Hooters. “This summer we will be calling upon all eaters – young and old, amateur and professional – to get off the bench and start training at Hooters for the ultimate all-you-can-eat wing-eating challenge at Hooters locations on National Chicken Wing Day on Wednesday, July 29.”
Chicken wing eating is among the most demanding disciplines in the world, requiring jaw strength, hand speed and stomach capacity. Hooters commissioned Major League Eating to officially sanction the Hooters Worldwide Wing Eating Championship circuit and crown the ruler of the roost.
“Joey Chestnut is the undisputed champion of the world, but chicken wing eating is as much an art as it is a science, and Chestnut will face a significant challenge from Matt Stonie and Adrian Morgan, both of whom are intuitive wing eaters,” said Major League Eating Chair George Shea.
Major League Eating will register competitors at www.IFOCE.com. All competitors must be at least 21 years old.
For more information about Hooters special events in the SoCal area, visit www.westcoasthooters.com. To find the nearest Hooters location, visit http://hooters.com.
Major League Eating (MLE), the world governing body of all stomach-centric sports, conducts more than 80 events annually, including the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, N.Y. and the CP Foods Biggest Eater Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. The competitive eating community is made up of more than 8,000 veteran and rookie gurgitators who travel the world in search of top titles and the glory that they provide. For more information, visit www.IFOCE.com, www.facebook.com/eatfast or twitter @eatingcontest.
Hooters of America, LLC, is the franchisor and operator of more than 400 Hooters restaurants in 42 states and 26 countries. Known for its world famous Hooters Style chicken wings, the first Hooters opened its doors in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida. Expectations were so modest at the time that the simple fact the doors opened was deemed worthy of a toast. Since then millions have been liberated from the ordinary at Hooters while enjoying great food, fun and one-of-a-kind hospitality that can only be served up by the Hooters Girls. For more information about Hooters visit www.Hooters.com or follow us at www.Twitter.com/Hooters, www.Facebook.com/Hooters or www.Instagram.com/Hooters.
