Everyone in Texas loves food, no doubt about it, but getting it for free is just icing on the cake! Of course, you’re going to have to put in some effort if you want that free meal, specifically by eating mammoth portions of food in a certain time frame. If you’re up for the challenge, then these restaurants may be just what you’re looking for.
1) Big Daddy's Burgers & Bar (Austin)
If you can eat 3 lbs of Texas beef with your choice of cheese plus all the fixin's on a specialty roll, plus 1 lb of hand-breaded onion and poblano rings or fresh-cut fries in 33 minutes or less, your meal is totally FREE! Plus you get a Big Daddy's T-shirt and a spot on their Wall of Fame. Are you up for the challenge?
2) Fat Boy's Bar & Grill (Houston)
According to a post on their Facebook page, this challenge has NEVER been accomplished. You must eat The Big Watt, the largest burger in Texas, by yourself in 5 hours or less. If you do it, you will be rewarded with a $500 gift certificate, a refund on the burger, your picture on the Wall of Fame, and a Fat Boy's T-shirt. If you put away at least 15 pounds, you will get everything above except for the gift card. Good luck!
3) Fat Bao (Sugar Land)
Called The Ramen Challenge, this goliath bowl of ramen is five times the normal size, and costs $45 to enter the challenge. You get to pick the ramen flavor of your choice, and have one hour to finish the entire thing down to the last drop. Fat Bao puts $5 into the "Ramen Challenge pot" after each failed attempt, and any winner gets to take home the contents of the pot, plus a refund on their meal. There has only been one winner thus far, just to give you an idea of what you're up against. Happy eating!
4) Fred's Downtown Philly (Plano, Richardson, Carrollton, Grapevine, Allen, Hurst, Bedford)
Come into any one of their 7 locations and take on the Liberty Bell, a two foot long cheesesteak weighing in at 5.5 pounds. You have 30 minutes to finish, and you get a refund on your meal plus a spot on their Wall of Fame upon finishing. You might want to not eat for a week or so before attempting this challenge...
5) Rusty Taco (Dallas, Plano, Denton)
For this challenge, you must choose between 13 different taco varieties, plus 6 different breakfast taco varieties. You have to finish them in one sitting, and break the record by one full taco to get a refund on your meal. You also get a free T-shirt if you eat 16 or more tacos. The current record is 36 as of April 30, 2015. Ready to break that record?
6) Big Texan Steak Ranch (Amarillo)
This might be the most famous food challenge in all of Texas. If you can eat a 72oz steak plus a shrimp cocktail, baked potato, a salad, and a buttered roll in one hour, you win the challenge. Good luck!
7) Chubby's Bronx Deli (El Paso)
I couldn't find a suitable picture for this challenge, but let me try to describe it for you. It's called the Joolie Mamoolie Sandwich Challenge, and it's a 5 lb, 30 inch sandwich packed with lots of meats and veggies. You also must eat an additional 1 lb of fries. If you can do this in 30 minutes or less, you will get a refund on your food, a free T-shirt, a $100 gift card, and of course, your face and name on their wall.
8) Ol' South Pancake House (Fort Worth)
If you can finish 8 pancakes in 60 minutes or less, you get your meal for free! Are you up for the pancake challenge?
9) Taproom Pub & Grub (San Marcos)
Your meal will weigh in at about 7 lbs, consisting of a full rack of ribs, 24 nuclear wings, a 1 lb works burger, a basket of fries, and a basket of onion rings. You have 45 minutes to complete the challenge, in which case you'll receive a free Chupacabra Challenge T-shirt, and a free meal. Just try not to pass out while eating...
10) Diablo Loco (Houston)
I couldn't find a photo of the actual challenge, but I figure at least the visual of the wings will give you some idea. For this challenge, you have to eat over two pounds of their spiciest wings in 15 minutes. If you do, you get a free meal and a place on their Wall of Fame. Good luck!
Do you know of any other food challenges in Texas? Would you ever participate in a food challenge? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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