Not all fests aim to entice students with alcohol. In fact, one longtime fest promotes the mass consumption of something else — pickles.
Pickle Fest has been a tradition at Bagel Street Deli, 27 S. Court St., since 1999, in which competitors are given 10 minutes to eat as many deli dill pickles as they can. This Friday, customers will carry on the tradition.
Each participant is matched with a deli employee, who counts the pickles eaten and ensures the participant is following the rules. Dicing and squeezing of the pickle isn’t allowed, and the pickle must be completely eaten for it to count. Vomiting during the competition will disqualify an eater.
“Everyone always wanted to create their own sandwich at BSD, so it kind of started as a way to entice people to do something difficult to get a sandwich on the menu,” said Lenny Meyer, owner of the deli. “It kind of grew into its own thing once we saw how funny it was. The employees really enjoy the day and it’s just something that we’ve kept doing over the years.”
There are three different competition heats, and the top eater in each gets a limited edition Pickle Fest T-shirt. The winning prize of Pickle Fest is being able to create and name a sandwich that will be added to the Bagel Street’s menu — an honor that brings many competitors to participate.
Many past creations from winning competitors have become staples on the restaurant's menu, including The Kevorkian, which has roast beef, swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce and ranch, and Pfeiffer’s Choice, with roast beef, mushrooms and cheddar.
This year, another prize will be added to the mix. The entry fee of $5, which is new to the competition this year, will go into a pot for donations. Bagel Street will match the donation amount in the pot and then will be donated to a charity of the winner’s choosing.
In last year’s competition, there were nearly 40 competitors, and the winner won by eating nine pickles. Previous year’s winners have eaten up to 13 in the allotted 10 minutes.
“(My favorite part is) probably just the overall high energy and hype that manifests in there over the two hour period,” said Connor Neal, a senior geology major and a long-time Bagel Street employee, in an email. “It’s pretty wild and weird.”
Neal will be participating in the competition this year. Both the ability to have his own sandwich on the menu and the charity component prompted him to join the ranks of the competitive pickle eaters.
Those interested are still able to sign up to compete by stopping in the deli or by calling the store.
“I think people are generally drawn to eat in the competition just due to the weird and funny nature of them,” Neal said. “Along with the addition of having Bagel Street as the venue, it’s nearly impossible for its atmosphere and good vibes not to create an amazingly exciting and fun time.”
