Can you defeat the beef?

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Tim Horsley took on the big burger challenge.

By Dal Cannady - bio | email

VIDALIA, GA (WTOC) - The sign in the window of Dad's Diner proclaims they have the best burger in the world. But what they don't say is that it might be one of the biggest as well.

The Dad Burger includes a pair of two-pound beef patties, one pound of bread and another pound of lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard and mayo.

Ronald Rollins opened Dad's Diner last fall and looked to create a burger his late father would have liked.

"Dad would eat as much as two to three burgers at one time. So I came up with the six-pound burger and called it the Dad Burger," Rollins explained as he worked, the beef patties dwarfing regular quarter pounders on the grill.

And just like all those giant signature dishes at diners around the country, the $25 Dad Burger is free if you can finish it in 40 minutes or less.

Tim Horsley of Soperton said he and his brother rib each other over who can eat the most. Horsley finally took the dare.

"We've been planning on this since the first time I came in and tasted their hamburgers," Horsley said. "The regular-sized ones are tasty."

Dozens of customers have tried the big burger challenge but only Tim Snell's picture hangs on the wall for eating the whole thing. Rollins said some have given up before they even got started.

"One guy came in with 8 or 10 buddies, they were all construction workers. He looked at the photo of the burger and thought he could do it. When I put it down in front of him, he just looked for 20 or 30 seconds. Then he pushed it away and didn't even try," he recalled.

When Horsley began, the bread went quickly as he ate the top bun by itself. Other lunchtime customers took their time eating to watch as Horsley went to the zone.

As a ring announcer for the local weekend wrestling federation, Horsley knows the value of competition and entertainment. But, after four pounds and 25 minutes of eating, The Dad burger remained the champ.

"It beat me," he said as he stabbed the fork into the final patty.

Ronald says it could be gimmicks like this that help Mom & Pop places like his hold their own against big restaurant chains.

Horsley says he'll try again soon. "I'll skip breakfast," he said with a sigh. "And maybe supper the night before."

The Big Dad burger costs $25 and the deal applies to only one eater at a time.