Restaurant to Host Burger-Eating Race

A Beverly, Mass., restaurant has put out the call for college students to participate in a hamburger-eating contest this Saturday, to be taped and shown on "The Late Show with David Letterman" later this year.

Lena's Big Papa's--which specializes in jumbo-sized entrees including a two-foot lobster roll and a breakfast sandwich which can serve a family--is offering trophies to the six-person team that can eat the most three-pound burgers in 45 minutes.

Joe Marcus of Lena's said yesterday that no Harvard teams had entered so far, though they have received entries from MIT, Boston University, Boston College, West Point, the Naval Academy, the Marine Corps and the Air Force.

Marcus says a good eater can typically eat just one of Lena's burgers in 45 minutes. Since this is the first year the contest is being held, there are no previous records.

The entrance fee is $100 per six-person team, and interested parties must call Marcus at 978-927-8735 before Friday afternoon to register. Winners will receive trophies and the chance to watch their triumph during an episode of Letterman's show later this year.