WEST SPRINGFIELD – World-ranked competitive eaters, including world champion Joey Chestnut, are coming to the Eastern States Exposition to compete in a White Hut Cheeseburg-Eating Championship on Sept. 15.

This is the third-annual White Hut Cheeseburg-Eating Championship at the Big E. It will take place at 12 p.m. on the Court of Honor Stage – which is sponsored by Mattress Firm. All competitors are professional eaters and will have 10 minutes to consume as many White Hut Cheeseburgs as they can.

White Hut, located at 280 Memorial Ave. in West Springfield, is a third generation family owned restaurant that has been serving burgers and hot dogs for 79 years.

At last year’s event, Joey Chestnut – who is known for eating 74 hot dogs at the 2018 Fourth of July Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest – ate 52 White Hut Cheeseburgs, setting a new world record. The #4-ranked Geoffrey Esper from Oxford, MA will seek to beat Chestnut’s record. A rising star in Major League Eating, Esper recently demonstrated his eating capacity while competing head-to-head against Chestnut at a sanctioned pizza-eating competition. Esper won, setting a new world record.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing the White Hut World Cheeseburg Eating Championship back to The Big E for a third year — and we’re really raising the stakes by bringing in Chestnut and Esper,” White Hut owner EJ Barkett said in a statement.

The presenting sponsor is Balise Motor Sales. The family-run organization is headquartered in West Springfield and employs over 1,400 associates at facilities in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Darby O’Brien, a South Hadley family-run branding, design, advertising and public relations firm, developed and managed the event in association with the Major League Eating.

“We go back about 20 years with the Shea brothers, who own Shea Communications – a public relations firm in New York. They started Major League Eaters and really built the awareness withthe  Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on the Fourth of July,” said Darby O’Brien, owner of the company.   

O’Brien, who is close with Barkett, said he created the concept for the Cheeseburg competition because the White Hut owner was looking for “some sort of high impact event.”

“He is at the Big E every year anyways – he has a stand there. So, he has to produce a lot of burgers as it is,” said O’Brien. “Because of his access, and the fact that he has a food truck there, we knew we could pull it off.”

When asked about why he thinks eating competitions are so popular, O’brien attributed it to the competitive atmosphere.

“I think it’s because they’re outrageous, and the fact that it’s timed makes it very competitive. People can really get caught up in it,” he added.

The Big E takes place Sept. 14 – 30 and will offer food, entertainment and more.

For more information, visit https://www.thebige.com/default.aspx.