New Cheesesteak Record Set at Jim’s Steaks

Jim’s Steaks has a new cheesesteak record holder. Bob Shoudt of Royersford has retaken the record he previously held by eating 20 cheesesteaks in an hour.

The South Street cheesesteak destination has a plaque dedicated to the person who has eaten the most steak sandwiches in an hour. For the longest time that record was held by Lynda Kuerth, who had eaten 11 sandwiches in an hour-and-a-half back in 1978. Kuerth was an early competitive eater. She also held records for eating hot dogs and banana splits. Her record lasted 23-years until  Radnor High School football player, Alex Friedman devoured 12 in an hour in 2001.

Shoudt gained the record for the first time when he ate 13 in 2007. That was part of a stunt to qualify for Wing Bowl. Another Wing Bowl challenge demolished Shoudt’s record as Bob Bertoletti of Chicago ate seventeen steaks in 35 minutes to qualify for this year’s Wing Bowl. That feat was impressive enough that Bertoletti was installed as a co-favorite to the wing eating event with 2-1 odds. Bertoletti is a competitive eater and has twice finished second in Wing Bowl.

Shoudt returned this week to retake his record. The local competive eater’s biggest claim to fame besides his propensity for inhaling cheesesteaks, might be that he downed two gallons of chili in 8 minutes to win Ben’s Chili Bowl’s World Chili Eating Championship in 2013.

Jim’s Steaks Record Setting Session [Instagram]
Year of the Cheesesteak [Foobooz]