Joey Chestnut

At the 2021 Nathan's Famous contest on 4 July, Joey Chestnut ate 76 hot dogs with buns in ten minutes. It is the record for the event.

Context

The 2021 contest took place at Coney Island in Brooklyn on 4 July, the first in-person event after the pandemic year before it. Chestnut won his 14th men's title that day, and news reports described the 76 hot dogs and buns as a new record, beating his own earlier mark of 75 from 2020.

The rules matter for the number. Contestants get ten minutes, and each hot dog and bun counts only if it is eaten, so the total is counted by judges at the table. The event also has a separate women's division, which Michelle Lesco won that year.

Competitive eating records are set under a particular event's rules, not one universal standard, so figures from other contests or other food types are not directly comparable. This entry describes the highest total reported for this specific contest.

Because the contest is held every year, the record can in principle fall at any future event, so the figure should be checked against later results before it is quoted as current. Eating contests are also criticised by some doctors for health reasons, a debate outside the scope of this entry.