The Big Texan and the 72OZ. Steak Challenge

If you have been to Amarillo or just passing through the city as a tourist then you know about the iconic building with the cowboy sign out front. The Big Texan has been featured in TV shows with numerous celebrities giving the steak challenge a try. Through the years of this people have succeeded and failed to down not just the 72 ounces of meat but the sides as well. The story goes that the restaurant founder Bobby Lee had his first two customers try and down a 72 ounce steak and the fixings all in one hour with the first winner taking home the fastest time. From that point forward Bobby declared any one who downs a 72 oz steak and sides gets it for free. Networks like Food Network and channels like it have aired episodes depicting customers at the establishment doing the challenge and trying to beat the clock without having to take home anything and pay the full expensive price of $72.

If you look at the restaurant history and the connection it has with cowboys and the Route 66 stop for travelers it is easy to say that the building is a one stop shop for people on a road trip or a vacation through the Texas Panhandle. The chain is not only known for steaks but right next to the main building sits a motel where you can spend the night with the same owners of the restaurant. I bet the people that come through for show tapings take advantage of the hospitality the motel brings it’s guests before they get up the next morning to go find people and interview them for a segment having to do with the steak challenge. If I came across a well known TV personality I would be all for an interview being a media person myself so I could voice my opinion on what I think about the challenge should I take part in it myself.

Good luck to whoever tries this in the future. I’m sure more records will be broken over the years.

-Tristan