Fox & Hound’s Menu Burger challenge is not for the faint of heart.
Between 2006 and 2019, nearly 70 percent of the men and women attempting to climb Mt. Everest reached the summit.
During that same period, only 20 percent of the men and women attempting the Oh No! You Sunk My Battleship Menu Burger Challenge at Fox & Hound in Stateline reached the summit of their Everest: devouring a massive amount of food within the allotted time.
To complete the challenge, time is of the essence. In 60 minutes, you’ll need to navigate the Menu Burger containing five pounds of edible dangers — all the restaurant’s favorites — from jalapeños and pineapple to a personal pepperoni pizza, fried eggs, pulled pork, a bacon cheeseburger, and a Philly cheesesteak, plus a side of six hot wings and a salad.
The five-pound On No! You Sunk My Battleship Menu Burger Challenge at Fox & Hound in Stateline
Competitors have collapsed face first into the chili cheese fries, fallen off chairs, and even disappeared, never to be heard from again. Even the most hardened lose it emotionally when, nearing the end, they are faced with the one thing that every challenger fears more than even the teriyaki chicken sandwich: the side salad.
“We need to keep things healthy,” says Matt Grimes, owner of Fox & Hound. Grimes has attempted to guide more than 100 people through this challenge.
“We average around one person a week making the attempt,” he says. “Some are professionals. Some are amateurs. All are full.”
Inspired by the high mountains surrounding his restaurant and noting that there were no other eating challenges in the Tahoe area, Grimes, equipped only with a full kitchen and a menu to point the way, built a mountain of food.
The mountain, like all mountains, attracts people from all walks of life. Men and women. Amateurs such as “Ashley” and “Stephanie.” Professionals whose monikers reflect a history of meeting these challenges head on: “The Hudak,” “The Boston Strangler,” and “The Big Deal.”
For those who fail, it is perhaps enough to say they tried. But for those who succeed, glory awaits: a T-shirt, your name on the wall, and, of course, a free Menu Burger.
In June 2020, this victorious Menu Burger Challenge winner clutches his hard-won prize
Molly Schuyler, a professional eater, traveled all the way from Maryland to Fox & Hound, presumably “because it’s there.” She devoured the challenge in an astonishing three minutes and 22 seconds, in what has become known as “The Mallory Moment” of food challenges.
Standing alone at the summit, she gave perhaps the greatest compliment a professional can give: “I tasted the food, yes.”
Note: edible Reno-Tahoe does not condone or encourage food challenges. But if you were looking for one near you, you could visit Foodchallenges.com.
Reno resident Kurt Bickel’s biggest food challenge is moderation. He can be found trying to work off the pounds with his Chesapeake retriever Mousse on various local mountain bike trails.
Fox & Hound
237 Tramway Drive, Stateline
775-588-8887 • Foxandhoundtahoe.com
