The brouhaha surrounding this year's July 4th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island carries on today, just like Joey Chestnut in the final moments of competition. Last week we reported that Major League Eating decided to split the contest into men's-and-women's sections in the interest of fairness. This was generally good news for fast-eatin' women, until it was revealed that the purse for the women's competition was only $2,500, compared to the men's prize of $10,000. Outrage ensued, until today. more ›

Nathan Handwerker and his wife opened their now famous hot dog stand on Coney Island in 1916, but their annual hot dog eating contest did not begin that year—even if legend may tell you otherwise. more ›

Joey Chestnut retained the Mustard Belt by eating 54 hot dogs (and buns) at Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. While Chestnut claimed a 70 hot dog record was in sight, he fell short of his record 2009 performance of 68 hot dogs consumed, when archrival Takeru Kobayashi was there to motivate him. more ›

In an interview with the Post, three-time Mustard belt champion Joey "Jaws" Chestnut attempts to intimidate anyone looking to claim the title. Apparently the competitive eater has only gotten sick once in his career, during a Vienna sausage-eating contest. He said, "They had the gelatinous little nasty ones, the ones that come in a can. That's when I figured out I needed to practice with the food." He also says he prepping for a surprise appearance by arch-rival Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi, who said he will not compete due to contractual issues. Chestnut says, "I don't trust him. This is not too different from his ploy three years ago—he said he had a hurt jaw and might not compete." more ›

Yesterday, three elephants from the Ringling Bros. circus and three Major League Eaters (because eating is a sport now) faced off in a Nathan's Hot Dog Bun eating contest. And just like last year, Bunny, Susie and Minnie completely schooled the humans. Though you can't say it was a fair fight, since three-time Mustard Belt winner and American hero Joey "Jaws" Chestnut wasn't part of the competition. more ›

The biggest day in competitive eating is this Sunday, when the eyes of the world turn to Coney Island for the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. They say it's been held every year since 1916, and if you've ever tried to attend, you know that it can get a tad crowded. But we're offering you and your lucky date a way around all that, with two VIP passes giving you prime seating in the media section, where the air is always sweeter and the frankfurters taste like ambrosia. more ›

Earlier this week we learned that this year's Nathan's Famous July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest would be lacking in both vuvuzelas and Takeru Kobayashi, meaning Joey Chestnut is a shoe-in for winning the competitive eating contest (this would be his fourth consecutive title). But why no Kobayashi? Early rumors mentioned a problem in contract negotiations, and now the Daily News reports on the finer details. more ›

The 4th of July is canceled, everyone! Not really, but it might as well be. According to a press release Major League Eating president Richard Shea just sent out: “Takeru Kobayashi is currently not scheduled to compete in the 2010 Nathan's Famous July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest. In recent weeks, Major League Eating has sought to arrive at an agreement with Kobayashi, but contract negotiations have reached an impasse. MLE remains hopeful that Kobayashi, who won the contest from 2001-2006, will decide to compete this July 4th in Coney Island, when Joey Chestnut will seek his fourth consecutive title.” Also: competitive eating is a very serious sport with very serious contract negotiations? more ›

About a month after Coney Island buffs called attention to the significance of this 19th century building, the city began demolishing it this week. The small structure sits on property that used to be Astroland Park, but long before that it was the kitchen for Charles Feltman's popular restaurant. Feltman (1841-1910), a German butcher who's credited with the idea of selling pork sausages on a warm bun, popularized the hot dog, and one of his employees was none other than Nathan Handwerker, who slept on the kitchen floor before going onto start Nathan's Famous! But all we are is crumbs in the wind, and the city is tearing it down as part of a major redo of the amusement district. Also lost to the wrecking ball is this mural, painted on one wall by artist Rita Ackermann in 2004. [Via Curbed/Coney Island Message Board] more ›

It was not Nathan Handwerker—a Jewish immigrant from Poland who went on to start Nathan's Famous—who brought the hot dog to Coney Island, but rather Charles Feltman (1841-1910), a German butcher who's credited with the idea of selling pork sausages on a warm bun, sometime around 1867. Feltman reportedly sold 3,684 sausages on a roll during his first year in business, pushing around a wagon to hungry beachgoers. The popular item ultimately sold for ten cents a pop and enabled Feltman to build a mini-empire with a hotel, beer gardens, restaurants, food stands, and amusements. All hot dog money. And Nathan Handwerker? He slept on the floor of Feltman's kitchen, which is all that remains of Feltman's legacy, and it's going to be demolished. more ›

Yesterday the top dogs of competitive eating faced off at the scales. Reigning champ Joey Chestnut and six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi were weighed in prior to their annual July 4th Nathan't Hot Dog showdown tomorrow. Chestnut, 25, came in at 218 lbs, to his 31-year-old competitor's 132 lbs. The two have faced off four times, with each taking home the belt twice, so this year will be a tie-breaker. Chestnut currently holds the world record, with his 2007 performance of eating 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes more ›

The holiday weekend has all but started, which means the countdown is on to the 94th Annual Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest. Tens of thousands will be watching Takeru Kobayashi and reigning champ Joey Chestnut shove the sticks of mechanically recovered meat down their throats. The current record stands at 66 hot dogs, and analysts have posted odds on the contest, in case you're, like, betting on this or something.

Odds for the Winner of the 94th Nathans Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest more ›

With opening day around the corner, both Yankee Stadium and Citi Field are brimming with elaborate dining options. People are asking whatever happened to peanuts and Cracker Jacks, some more whimsically than others. The food news has been piecemeal for the most part but is picking up steam now: A menu preview with photos (think pulled pork) accompanied a Times article about Citi Field Tuesday, while Grub Street got first dibs on the Brother Jimmy’s BBQ Yankee Stadium menu (think pulled pork and fried pickles) yesterday. The combined food service operations at both stadiums encompass what might be the equivalent of 20 or 30 non-stadium restaurant openings, highbrow and otherwise. more ›

The Brooklyn Paper and The Post are making waves today with sensational headlines about Nathan's Coney Island flagship being doomed by the city's final rezoning plan for the area. But as we cautioned yesterday, this is pure speculation, based on assumptions that the rezone will raise the value of Nathan's property so high that the owner will be tempted to sell. Nathan's CEO Eric Gatoff released this statement this morning: "We remain committed to Coney Island in the long-term and we fully intend to maintain our historic flagship restaurant at 1310 Surf Avenue... As to the latest report issued by the City, we believe the information relating to Nathan's Famous is being misinterpreted and that there is no intention to replace or demolish our flagship location." So everybody calm down; there's certainly plenty to get worked up about on Coney Island right now, but Nathan's Famous lips and assholes will available on Surf Avenue for a long time to come. more ›

It looks like would-be Coney Island developer Joe Sitt has gone all Henry F. Potter this Christmas, sending workers out last night to put up "For Lease" signs on boardwalk properties owned by his company, Thor Equities. A commenter on the Coneyisland.com message board snapped some photos last night and this morning, depicting the signs above such indispensible boardwalk mainstays as Nathan's and scruffy dive bar Ruby's Bar & Grill. more ›

After last year's Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, six-time world hot-dog-eating champ Takeru Kobayashi declared: "I will definitely beat him next year." His opponent, Joey Chestnut, had won by eating 66 HDB (hot dogs and buns) to Kobayashi's 63. Despite not earning his way in to the contest as a regional qualifier, last year's loser be on hand this year in an attempt to earn back the title. more ›

Therefore all qualifying rounds will last just 10 minutes this year, and the ultimate July 4th battle will likely be shortened to that time as well. The change has outraged reigning champ Joey Chestnut, who didn't edge out six-time champ Takeru Kobayashi until the last few minutes of last year’s contest. Chesnut calls the change “ridiculous.” more ›

Now that an appeals court has ruled that the city can start requiring chain restaurants to prominently display their calorie information, Nathan’s has begun tossing up their stats just in time for summer at Coney Island. Kinetic Carnival notes that the Nathan’s basic hot dog has just half the calories packed into a Big Mac from McDonald’s. more ›

Open wide for the forthcoming Nintendo Wii game Major League Eating, which lets players compete as some of the most famous speed eaters in the world, like Takeru Kobayashi, six-time winner of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest. If the game turns out to be half as fun as this promotional trailer, there’s going to be a lot of virtual binging going down this summer. more ›