Earlier this year, a well-known British competitive eater and YouTube star came to the Carolinas to take on local food challenges, one of which was filmed at a Wilmington restaurant. Adam Moran visited downtown oyster bar Shuckin’ Shack in January and posted the episode on his popular Beard Meats food channel in April.
It has since been viewed over 6.5 million times, thanks in part to its title: “The hardest challenge I’ve completed this year… The World’s Biggest Lobster Roll.” The lobster roll he’s talking about is the Meggah Greggah Challenge.
Shuckin’ Shack CEO Jonathan Weathington said it’s the equivalent of 16 regular lobster rolls and is served with a pound and a half of French fries and a half pound of coleslaw. If you want to dip it, there’s also a generous helping of Greggah sauce on the side. You have to order it 24 hours in advance and it’s usually $200.
Unless you manage to do it all in an hour. Then you get the meal for free, a T-shirt and a place on the restaurant’s Wall of Fame. (If you don’t manage it in the allotted time, you have to pay the bill and get a place on the Wall of Shame.)
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A few years ago, competitive eater Randy Santel also mastered the challenge.
Moran has 4 million subscribers on YouTube and is a former ESPN Best Eater in Europe. While in North Carolina, he also filmed episodes at Papa’s & Beer in Asheville for their Monster Burrito Challenge and at Benny’s Pizzeria in Charlotte for their 28-inch pizza challenge. Other regional stops included in Greenville, SC, at Mac’s Speed Shop and in Easley, SC, at Skin’s Hot Dogs (where he broke the house record for most chili hot dogs eaten) and Smitty’s Soul Food.
The popularity of the video hasn’t necessarily led to more people taking up the challenge.
“More people are definitely asking about it,” Weathington said. “And it’s been great for brand awareness.”
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Allison Ballard is the food and hospitality reporter for StarNews. Reach her at [email protected].
