Texas Hot Dog-Eating Champ Wins Trip to July 4th Finals in Coney Island

Major League Eating will host a local regional qualifier for the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest at 1 P.M. on Saturday, March 19th.

The event will take place at Sunset Station in San Antonio at the H-E-B Big League Weekend pre-season baseball game.

The top male and female finishers in this event will qualify for a seat at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, on July 4th, where they will face reigning champions Matt Stonie and Miki Sudo.

"This is a milestone year for sports as Kobe Bryant winds down his retirement tour and Nathan's Famous celebrates its 100^thanniversary," said MLE Chairman George Shea. "We hope to find a local athlete in San Antonio who can represent the great state of Texas on our nation's holiday."

"We're excited to kick-off the annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest qualifying tour in San Antonio as part of H-E-B Big League Weekend," said Wayne Norbitz, executive board member and 26-year president of Nathan's Famous. "We're celebrating our 100^th anniversary with our fans across the nation and Nathan's is thankful that our partners at H-E-B offer an easy way for consumers to enjoy a taste of Coney Island in the greater San Antonio area."

Matt Stonie of San Jose, CA, currently holds the title of Hot Dog Eating Champion after defeating eight-time champion Joey Chestnut. Stonie downed 62 Nathan's Famous hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, beating Chestnut by two full dogs. Chestnut still holds the current world record of 69 Nathan's Famous hot dogs and buns in 10 Minutes. Miki Sudo of Las Vegas, NV, will defend her title as female champion, having consumed 38 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes in 2015.

In recent years, an estimated 35,000 fans have traveled to the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island to watch the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in person. The live telecast of the event has consistently attracted millions of viewers since ESPN first aired the contest in 2004.

According to legend, the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest has occurred each July 4 in Coney Island, N.Y., since 1916, the year Nathan Handwerker opened the legendary restaurant. Major League Eating, the governing body of all stomach-centric sport, sanctions the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog-Eating Circuit and ensures the contests are judged professionally and that safety standards are in place at each event.

Those interested in competing in the qualifier should visit www.majorleagueeating.com to obtain information and register.  All competitors must be over 18 years of age.

About Nathan's Famous, Inc.

Nathan's is a Russell 2000 Company that currently distributes its products in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Cayman Islands and ten foreign countries through its restaurant system, foodservice sales programs and product licensing activities. Last year, over 500 million Nathan's Famous hot dogs were sold. Nathan's was ranked #22 on the Forbes 2014 list of the Best Small Companies in America and was listed as the Best Small Company in New York State in October 2013.

For additional information about Nathan's please visit their website at www.nathansfamous.com.