The U, a local restaurant catering to Saint Louis University students, is hosting its first “Eat a Graduate” competition on Sept. 11 from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., giving competitors a chance to win up to $250 in cash. The challenge may seem like an easy way to win fast cash, but the new “graduate” burger requires an experienced eater and an impressive stomach to go the distance.
Adam Kustra, the owner of the The U, created this new challenge in order to launch the new burger. According to Kustra, “The Graduate” consists of two 6-oz burgers, four strips of bacon, two chicken fingers, Swiss cheese, provolone cheese, cheese sauce, chili, fried onion rings, thousand island dressing, giareiniera peppers and the bun, totaling about 1-1.5 lbs.
Despite the intensity of the burger, it is already more popular than Kustra anticipated. Kustra said that he did not necessarily expect the burger to sell, but they have been filling three to five orders per day. Kustra calls the hearty burger “ a monster of a meal” but claims that it is possible to finish.
“The guy who helped me create it ate one in five minutes. It’s funny to see some of the people that order this burger. The other day a little old lady, around 65 years old, came in here and ordered one. She didn’t exactly finish it, though,” Kustra said.
The contest is a timed event, with the first to finish the burger in its entirety to receive the prize of $250 in cash. The second to finish wins $100, and the third is the winner of $50. There may be different rounds depending on how many people enter to compete, but regardless, the winners will still be taken from the group of contestants as a whole, according to Kustra.
In addition to the challenge, Kustra is putting together a charity competition. This competition, the Celebrity Charity Chow-down, will take place before the student competition and will feature local celebrities participating in the Graduate Challenge. The winner of the Celebrity Charity Chow-down will receive $100 toward his or her charity of choice. Frank Cusumano, KSDK reporter of Channel 5, has already agreed to compete, and Kustra is still reaching out to other local celebrities to get involved.
The Celebrity Charity Chow-down is set to start at 3 p.m. the day of the contest with the other contestants beginning between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
In order to enter the challenge, contestants must fill out an entry form at www.eatagraduate.com and pay an entry fee of $20. A portion of this fee will benefit the SLU Entrepreneurship program. Donations toward the charity will also be accepted throughout the event.
When asked why he chose to donate to SLU’s entrepreneurship program, Kustra said, “I was a young entrepreneur when I opened this place. I want to give someone else the same opportunities I had. SLU and its community are a main part of our business, and I felt it would be nice to give back to them.”
The U is located at 3106 Olive Blvd, right off of SLU’s main campus. In order to view the event information online, visit www.theustl.com/events/.
