The Major League Eating crowd got a taste of luxury living ahead
of the annual 2020 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating
Contest.
Competitors in the American holiday tradition took part in the official
weigh-in ceremony ahead of the hot dog-eating contest at The Dime in South Williamsburg.
With the coronavirus weighing heavy on the minds of organizers and competitors, Major League Eating chairman George Shea said it was vital to hold the weigh-ins in a space that was private but also offered great outdoor space.
Jointly developed by Charney Companies and Tavros Holdings, The
Dime is a 23-story rental building developed atop the former Dime Savings Bank.
Its 23,000 s/f outdoor terrace provided a perfect backdrop for eating champions
Miki Sudo and Joey Chestnut to be weighed-in and certified for the historic
July 4 competition, where the two champions broke records – again.
Chestnut weighed-in at 220 pounds at The Dime on Friday as he
pursued his 13th title. On July 4 in Coney Island, he set a world record by eating 75 hot
dogs in ten minutes, 33 more than his closest competitor. Sudo
set a women’s record by eating 48.5 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes. She won
her seventh straight title.
The contest took place in a private Coney Island location with
COVID-19 safety measures in place and no fans. There were five eaters rather
than the usual 15 to allow for social distancing in the 10-minute competitions
for leading male and female eaters.
This year, the contest – which
features an annual donation of 100,000 Nathan’s Famous hot dogs to the Food
Bank for New York City – was dedicated to raising funds for food banks and to
raising awareness of food bank needs.
Photos by Ed Lederman
