MEMBER NEWS
MEMBER NEWS
KATAR Holdings Inc . Hosts Second Annual Cheese Stick Eating Contest for United Way
On Jan . 11 , a Buffalo Wild Wings ® restaurant in Ohio , played host to a cheese stick eating contest to benefit the United Way of Ashland County . The event , which made its debut last year , returned this year and featured an expanded field of 15 competitors .
The cost to enter the competition was $ 150 , and the event also had raffle tickets available for purchase . Between the two sources of income , the contest raised around $ 2,500 for the United Way ’ s Caring for Our Own campaign – a 40 percent increase over last year ’ s total .
“ We hope to grow this event even further with increased participation from the community , but we can ’ t help but be pleased with the amount raised , the turnout and the spirit evidenced by both the competitors and the sponsors ,” said Brian Dill with Lake Erie Frozen Foods , who was a co-sponsor and provided the cheese sticks . “ Ashland County is a great place to live and work , and when you have a chance to come out and raise money to help make it even better , it is a privilege .”
Out of the 15 competitors who were representing 11 local companies , Buffalo Wild Wings ’ very own Ben Clark was crowned the winner , consuming 28 breaded mozzarella cheese sticks in the five-minute time limit – a number just one cheese stick shy of last year ’ s record of 29 cheese sticks , set by Richie Taylor . The runner-up in this year ’ s contest was Trevor Callaham , representing Diamond Pallets , who consumed 22 cheese sticks .
The Ashland , Ohio , B-Dubs ® restaurant had relocated three weeks prior to the competition , and staff said there was a lot of excitement between the new location and the contest . While an exact number of spectators was not kept , employees noted that the restaurant and patio were both full , and they believe the event increased sales .
“ When Brian Dill approached me last year about the idea , I was a little unsure how people in the community would react to this type of fundraiser ,” said KATAR Holdings Inc . franchisee
Above : The Buffalo Wild Wings in Ashland , Ohio , hosted the second annual Cheese Stick Eating Contest to benefit the United Way and saw a full house .
Left : Ken Brown , left , and Brian Dill , right , pose for a photo with the winner of the contest , Ben Clark , who ate 28 cheese sticks in five minutes .
Ken Brown . “ I was surprised when I walked into the restaurant to see our back bar area packed with excitement . This year ’ s event was much better with the new location and extra space , and I look forward to next year ’ s event .” S
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2017 Issue 1 | THE SCORE
JK & T Wings Participates in 10th Annual Fire & Ice Festival
From Jan . 20-22 , a Buffalo Wild Wings ® in Rochester , Michigan , participated in the 10th annual Fire & Ice Festival . The local B-Dubs ® restaurant has been a part of the festival for the past four years and provided parking with an accompanying shuttle bus . In addition , BWW employees had a station set up at the event that sold pork sandwiches , boneless wings and chili .
Despite weather setbacks , an estimated 50,000 people attended the three-day event . The Fire & Ice Festival typically features cold-weather activities , but due to unseasonably warm weather , some events were reconfigured or canceled .
The ice skating rink was transformed into an ice fishing rink , while tube sledding was taken off the schedule entirely due to the lack of snow . The dog-sled rides were modified and used wheeled sleds instead of regular sleds . Snow shoeing and cross-country skiing were also taken off the list .
To make up for canceled events , the festival also featured a
25-foot rock climbing tower , zip lines , inflatable sports games , a geocaching class , sack races , tug-o-war and parachute games , a golf practice area and bass fishing clinics .
In addition to those activities , the hallmark of the festival was an ice carving competition , which still took place even though the sculptures experienced quite a bit of melting . Other annual elements included a beer tent , food trucks , carriage rides , a pet adoption tent , a 5K race and a firework show , which ran into some visibility issues with fog .
B-Dubs employees said that , even though the foot traffic was down a bit compared to past years due to the weather , the event still went really well . They also noted that the Blazin ’ Bill mascot was a huge hit and took as many as 1,000 photos per day .
“ Getting out and being a part of the community is something that just comes second nature ,” said JK & T Wings franchisee Kent Ward . “ We love to see the same residents out at events that come into our establishment .” S