MILWAUKEE -- A professional competitive eater from California set a new record Monday night when she ate 22.5 pounds of prime rib at Milwaukee steakhouse Ward's House of Prime.
Molly Schuyler accomplished the feat of eating 360 ounces of Ward's Famous Prime Rib in about 45 minutes, according to owner Brian Ward. As far as he and his staff can tell, nobody has eaten more steak in one sitting.
"The largest someone had ever tried before her was 212 [ounces], and they didn't come close to eating it," he said.
Ward told TODAY'S TMJ4 that Schuyler first reached out to his restaurant a few years ago, but a meeting was never set. Things worked out this time when a Ward's bartender who followed the pro eater on YouTube noticed she would be in the area after visiting family in Minnesota.
Photos and videos of Schuyler tucking into the massive pile of meat were shared on the restaurant's Facebook page. In the beginning, her order was only 224 ounces, enough to break the previous record.
But that wasn't enough for Schuyler. Ward says she finished the first stack, weighing in at 15 pounds, in just 23 minutes. She ended up ordering two more servings, bringing her total to 360 ounces in about 45 minutes.
All of that prime rib drew quite a crowd. Ward says guests at the restaurant that night would leave their tables to take photos of Schuyler's feast, drawn by servers carrying plate after plate of savory steak.
"It's an eye-catcher, so a lot of the people in the restaurant were watching," Ward said.
Perhaps the most astonishing part of this rare feat? Ward says Schuyler could have easily eaten more, and that she only stopped because she wants to come back and break her fresh record someday in the future.
"She actually enjoyed eating it, so she took her time...that was a leisurely pace for her," the steakhouse's owner said.
Since she successfully ate all 360 ounces, Molly's $545 tab was covered by the restaurant.
