Norms Restaurants, a pioneer of classic American dining born and raised in Southern California, celebrated its grand opening Nov. 9 with a ribbon cutting and the World’s First Hotcake Eating Championship.
Building upon its 75-year legacy, Norms Las Vegas, 4605 W. Charleston Blvd., marks the 24th outpost for the 24-hour retro-diner concept, with its signature orange accenting the outlets, and the group’s first restaurant outside California.
In partnership with the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and city officials, Norms Las Vegas officially opened its doors after a commemorative ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. that included a proclamation from City Councilman Brian Knudsen – and a gift of hot sauce from a neighboring business.
Kicking off at 11 a.m., Norms Las Vegas teamed up with Major League Eating and some of the world’s most competitive eaters on the first-ever World’s First Hotcake Eating Championship.
Competitors included 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Champion Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago, Geoff Esper of Boston (ranked No. 3), James Webb of Sydney, Australia (No. 4), Las Vegas native Derek “Heavy D” Hendrickson (No. 8), top-ranked female competitor Miki Sudo of Tampa and bodybuilder Nick Wehry.
In just 10 minutes, the group of elite eaters raced, at a table on a raised stage, to consume as many Norms Hotcakes as possible to win the championship belt and the total prize purse of $10,000, with $5,000 going to the winner.
The results: Wehry (5th), with 35 hotcakes; Sudo and he are a couple, and he happily flexed for cameras. Sudo (4th), with 36 hotcakes; she said she was disappointed in her results and that the hotcakes are fluffier than pancakes.
Third: Webb (glazed donut champion with 70 in 8 minutes), with 41 hotcakes; he said he needed a nap after the eating contest. Second: a lowkey Esper, with 44 hotcakes. And first, with 46 hotcakes: Bertoletti! Hot dogs? Hotcakes? All the same to him.
Also: The hotcakes at Norms are delicious – with a maximum of two hotcakes and lots of maple syrup.
More: Norms.com
