The Big Texas in Amarillo has a 72 oz steak challenge.

7701 East I-40 Amarillo, Texas 79118

COME TRY IT!! Our World-Famous FREE 72oz. STEAK DINNER (if eaten in 1 hour) is only for the very hungry. Many have tried. Many have failed. How the FREE 72oz STEAK DINNER legend was BORN... The FREE 72-oz. steak came to life not long after Bob Lee opened the doors to the Big Texan Steak Ranch. In those days, cowboys still worked the area ranches and came into town on their days off to get a good meal and have some fun. Both of those needs could be fulfilled at the Big Texan. One day a cowboy came through the front door bragging that he was so hungry he could eat the whole, darned cow. Bob grinned as he put the first one-pound steak on the grill and the contest was on. When the cowboy finally yelled, calf-rope he had consumed 4 pounds of tasty Texas beef. Bob vowed from that day forward the dinner would be served free to anyone who could complete it in one hour. Since then, 10's of thousands people from around the world have traveled to Amarillo and attempted to eat the specially cut 72-oz. top sirloin steak, a baked potato, salad, dinner roll and shrimp cocktail. Some have succeeded in completing the feat and joining the ranks of Big Texan champions. Many have failed R.J. "Bob" Lee Founder

. FREE 72OZ STEAK DINNER RULES Meal consists of: Shrimp Cocktail, Baked Potato, Salad, with Roll, Butter, and of course the 72 oz. Steak 1. Entire meal must be completed in one hour. If any of the meal is not consumed (swallowed)...YOU LOSE! 2. Before the time starts, you will be allowed to cut into the steak, and take one bite. If the steak tastes good and is cooked to your satisfaction, we will start the time upon your acceptable approval. The time will not stop, and the contest is on, so make SURE before you say yes. 3. Once you have started you are not allowed to stand up, leave your table, or have anyone else TOUCH the meal. 4. You will be disqualified if anyone assists you in cutting, preparing or eating of your meal. This is YOUR contest. 5. You dont have to eat the fat, but we will judge this. 6. Should you become ill, the contest is over... YOU LOSE! (Please use the container provided as necessary.) 7. You are required to pay the full amount up front; if you win we will refund 100%. 8. You must sit at a table that we assign. 9. If you do not win the steak challenge, you are welcome to take the leftovers with you. 10. No consumption or sharing of the leftovers is allowed in the restaurant once the contest is over. 11. 72oz. STEAK FACTS & STATS

12. Klondike Bill, a professional wrestler, consumed two of the dinners in the one hour time limit back in the 1960s. 13. Richard LeFavre, from Nevada, ate two of the steaks on the Donny and Marie Show in the 1990s. 14. 15. The oldest person to eat the steak was a 69 yearold grandmother. Klondike Bill ate two. The youngest person to eat the steak was an 11 year-old boy. 16. Carlene and Richard Lefevre, a couple from Henderson, NV, have eaten the steak dinner at least 10 times since their first attempt 1995. Both of them usually complete the meal in less than 30 minutes. 17. Frank Pastore, who was a professional pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, ate the complete steak dinner in Grandmother ate it. 9 and 1/2 minutes (May 3, 1987). Pastore actually has eaten the steak dinner seven times. On his first effort, in February 1976, he finished the steak in 21 minutes. He held that record for 21 years. 18. THE CURRENT CHAMP The record was broken by Joey Chestnut on March 24, 2008. He ate the entire meal in 8 minutes and 52 seconds.

Joey, seated , with Big Texan owners Danny & Bobby Lee and Dianna Lee Magill

19. 20. It was an ordinary spring evening, March 24, 2008. The sky was overcast and the wind was blowing gusts of 20 miles per hour. Just another day in the Panhandle. 21. Joey Chestnut pulled up in the parking lot of The Big Texan on his new motorcycle. 22. Inside, he announced, Im here to try the big steak! Sean Hamm from Drexel Hill, PA, gives his account. My brother and I were on our way to California. We decided to have dinner at The Big Texan. I heard this guy say he was going to try to eat the big steak. When I saw the steak meal I thought, This guy is not going to be able to finish this! Then, it wasnt long until the staff starting realizing this was something different. A lot of the customers stood up and crowded around the table, so it was difficult to see. After about four minutes, I realized that this was something to witness! I stood up on a chair. 23. At about seven minutes, that guy finished the steak and started in on the salad, shrimp, potato and roll. It was pure pandemonium. He was grabbing the potato and salad with his hands. Then, he was done. All that food in 8:52 minutes! Ive never seen anything like it! Everyone in the restaurant was on their feet applauding. My friends and I came for a good meal and got to witness history! 24. Joey Jaws Chestnut is currently ranked number One by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. He holds gobs of records, is just 24 years old and is simply the best competitive eater in the world, who will likely go on to break every record there is. 25. The unofficial record for the fastest time belongs to a 500-pound Bengal Tiger owned by Benjamin Heiple of FLorida. His meal was limited to the steak only and he dined in the front of the building. The technique was the simplest we've ever seen: sniff, lick, gulp! It took him less than 90 seconds. 26. Ripleys Believe It or Not brought six pre-qualified contestants from across the United States. Only one of them finished, yet a 120 pound lady reporter from The Wall Street Journal earned her T-shirt, certificate and no leftovers. 27. As the famous steak's reputation grew, so did the price. The meal was originally priced at $9.95. By the mid 1990s the price had climbed to $39.50. The popularity of the Texas beef drove the price of the meal to $50.00 just before the millennium. Last year higher market prices for cattle pushed the price to $72.00. If you come in to test your gastronomic skills, don't be offended if they ask for a payment on the meal before you begin eating. It's been our experience that win or lose everybody who tackles the FREE 72-oz. Steak dinner has trouble reaching in their hip pocket for a wallet after they push back from the table. We happily refund the money to the winners. We also give them a T-shirt, a souvenir boot mug and a certificate. They can add their comments to the winners on the "Wall of Fame" next to the lobby display, and then we'll add their photo to the gallery of recent winners. Their names go into the permanent list of Champions.