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Chattanooga: Square Off qualifier is today

By: Adam Crisp
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Bob Stoudt hasn’t had a real meal since Wednesday.

He’s been getting ready for a 15,000-calorie (or more) lunch today on the shore of the Tennessee River.

He’ll be joined by 12 to 15 competitors at the first of a seven-city tour to pick the 12 people to compete in the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship on Sept. 28.

Today’s contest starts at 2 p.m. with open registration for anyone who’d liked to compete in the trial. The actual eating begins at 3 p.m. on the main stage of the Southern Brewers Festival, which is taking place this weekend on the riverfront as well.

Whoever wins today’s contest will get a spot at the September contest and a chance to at the $50,000 cash purse.

In the 2007 eat-off, Pennsylvania resident Mr. Stoudt, known as “Humble Bob,” was the No. 2 finisher just below Joey “Jaws” Chestnut. Mr. Stoudt consumed 95 little Krystal burgers in eight minutes. Each square burger is 160 calories with 7 grams of fat and 17 carbs. Mr. Chestnut wolfed down 103 in the same time, setting a world record.

“The way the food tastes doesn’t really come into play unless it tastes really good or really bad,” Mr. Stoudt said. “You just sort of have to block it out. I think Krystals taste great ... but my family is vegetarian, so I don’t even buy meat ordinarily.”

Already, 10 of Mr. Stoudt’s competitors have been selected. A few of those are professional eaters like Mr. Stoudt, who were recruited by the Krystal Co. to come back to Chattanooga for this year’s contest. Others were randomly picked from a field of online applicants.

Another five will be selected at random today just before the Square Off. Anyone who wants a chance at those random slots must show up for the 2 p.m. registration near Ross’s Landing.

Krystal employees gathered Friday afternoon at company headquarters at Chestnut Street and M.L. King Boulevard for the ceremonial “lighting of the grill,” followed by a caravan down Chestnut Street and a lightweight eating contest involving various local television reporters.

Joe Legge, the daytime anchor for WDEF-TV, won that competition, eating eight Krystals in two minutes.

“This is a celebration of the Krystal brand,” said Brad Wahl, vice president of marketing for the Krystal Co. “This is not something completely gimmicky. People eat Krystals in multiples every day. You always hear the stories about how many someone ate at a single sitting, and this is just taking it to a whole new level.”

But the Square Off is full of campy humor, including George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, the official sanctioning body of the competitive eating world. He compares the Square Off to the Olympics.

“The Olympians fall short in so many ways,” Mr. Shea said Friday, just before the lighting of the grill. “What you are going to see in the next few weeks are the greatest athletes of all time. ... Today’s event, which is moving, dramatic and emotional, is a fitting tribute to the journey on which we are about to embark: seven cities across the South.”

After this first Chattanooga competition, Krystal will head to Jacksonville, Fla., on Sept. 1, then to Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville, Birmingham and Memphis, lining up qualifiers for the final competition.

“There is no event that matches this Square Off in terms of the community, the commitment to the brand, and that’s because the love between the Krystal and the Krystal eater is unmatched,” Mr. Shea said.

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