Joey Chestnut to Defend Waffle House Title, One of Major League Eating's Top Honors

The dramatic Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta, GA, will serve as the arena for some of the World’s finest competitive eaters on Sunday, September 3, at 3:00 p.m. as the 2006 Waffle House World Waffle-Eating Championship takes place.

Joey Chestnut will return to Atlanta to defend the title of Waffle House World Waffle-Eating Champion. Patrick Bertoletti and Sonya Thomas are expected as well, so it promises to be a battle. The champion will receive a $5,000 prize, with another $2,500 being distributed among other finishers.

George Shea, Chairman of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, said: "Waffle House waffles are especially difficult for Major League Eaters because their delicious flavor (with tantalizing hints of vanilla) can easily distract an eater from the task at-hand."

Chestnut, the American hot dog eating champion, last year consumed 18.5 waffles in 10 minutes. He is riding a wave of momentum heading into the contest, having captured the World Grilled Cheese-Eating Championship and the Baby Back Rib-Eating Championship within the past two months. Georgia’s own Larry “The Legend” McNeil hopes to unseat Chestnut from his waffle-eating title.

Major League Eating fans consider last year’s contest to be one of the most memorable competitive eating events in recent memory, as Chestnut took the victory by a mere one-half waffle over Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas. Chestnut proceeded to donate half of his winnings to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.

Headquartered in Norcross, GA, Waffle House has been serving Good Food Fast® since 1955. Today the Waffle House system operates 1,500 locations in 25 states and is the world’s leading server of waffles, t-bone steaks, hash browns, cheese ‘n eggs, country ham, pork chops and grits. Since opening fifty years ago, Waffle House has served its customers nearly 500 million waffles. For more information visit www.wafflehouse.com.