Joey Chestnut doesn’t seem to think that the fence will be mended with Nathan’s and Major League Eating in order for him to return to compete in the famed Fourth of July hot dog eating contest that takes place every year on the Coney Island boardwalk.
Chestnut did not compete in last year’s competition after an apparent issue that MLE and Nathan’s had over a deal that the famed eater had with another hot dogs brand, Impossible Foods — the plant-based food company that makes vegan hot dogs.
While Chestnut told The Blast he would want to come back, he doesn’t expect to get a call to return to the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.
“If they came back with similar terms we were talking about last year, I would definitely consider it,” he told the outlet. “I’d work with them to make sure there weren’t any conflicts with other sponsors. … But honestly, I don’t think they want to go down that route. And yeah, it’s a bummer. I love that contest.”
The Post had exclusively broken the news last year that Chestnut would not be competing in the Nathan’s contest due to the spat and that he had been offered $200,000 to compete in last year’s contest, along with a $1.2 million, four-year contract going forward.
Chestnut also told The Blast that “I still don’t know exactly where our relationship stands” and that he was “really surprised” about their reaction to his partnership with Impossible Foods.
The partnership with Impossible Foods had been to promote “Meatless Mondays,” an initiative that encourages people to try plant-based alternatives and is something that Chestnut said he takes part in.
“It was for Mondays, for people who aren’t even eating meat,” he said about the partnership that ended up becoming an issue.
Chestnut, who is a household name, had won the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest 16 times, which included winning every year from 2016 until last year, when he did not compete.
He holds the record for most dogs and buns eaten, with 76 during the 2021 contest.
