JOEY CHESTNUT ATE 40 PANCAKES IN 10 MINUTES FOR A RECORD
Joey Chestnut broke the pancake eating record on September 26, 2026, putting away 40 pancakes in 10 minutes at the World Pancake Eating Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia. The old mark was 35, set by Geoff Esper at the inaugural contest in 2025, Dexerto reported.
It was an official Major League Eating event, held at 12:30 p.m. in Merchants Square on West Duke of Gloucester Street. It was the centerpiece of the second annual Williamsburg Pancake Festival, in a town that bills itself as the Pancake Capital of the World.
Major League Eating announced the result on X:
Joey Chestnut sets a NEW WORLD RECORD at the World Pancake Eating Championship with 40 pancakes in 10 min!
Max Stanford finished second with 28 pancakes, and Nick Wehry took third with 27. Gideon Oji ate 23¼ for fourth, Miki Sudo managed 20¾ for fifth, and Domenica Dee ate 15 for sixth.
Chestnut was in a different weight class, quite literally. The Daily Press reported the pancakes weighed four ounces each, which works out to 10 pounds of breakfast in one sitting. Dexerto reported he took home the $2,500 first-place prize from a $5,000 purse.
The record was announced with a bit of ceremony. The judge held Chestnut’s hand while declaring it, Flat Hat News reported. A spectator named Caleb Smith posted video of the performance on X, and Dexerto embedded it.
A pancake rookie with a plan
Oddly, this was Chestnut’s first pancake-eating contest. It was also his first competitive appearance in Virginia, according to Dexerto.
He did not wing it. Before the event, Chestnut told WYDaily that he expected to eat almost no solid food the day before. He also planned a high-fiber, no-starch, no-sugar diet for the week leading up to it, which is a strange way to prepare for a pancake contest.
He also named what would matter most on the day: “that perfect rhythm of breathing and biting, chewing and swallowing.”
Major League Eating chairman George Shea had set the stage for a record attempt. In a statement quoted by WAVY, he said: “Thirty-five pancakes stand between this field and immortality.” Chestnut ate five more than that.
The win came one week after Chestnut took the World Poutine Eating Championship in Toronto on September 19, 2026, where he ate 21¼ pounds in 10 minutes, according to Dexerto. That followed his Nathan’s hot dog title, so the man was clearly having a year of eating anything put in front of him.
The festival ran September 25 to 27, with a Pancakes & Pajamas Dinner and a Sunday “Pancakes Around Town” activity on the schedule, WYDaily reported. After the contest, Flat Hat News reported, attendees could get their faces painted, buy pancake merchandise and pose for photos with Chestnut.
On October 13, 2026, Flat Hat News published its on-scene account of the contest. It reported that Chestnut was presented with a commemorative pancake portrait made by a local Williamsburg artisan baker.
