By Alex Christodoulides
In the three weeks since they put up the sign announcing the competition, the challenge has already undone two competitive eaters from Staten Island, said the owners of the three-year-old On the Grill restaurant on Queens Boulevard in Rego Park. But a skinny guy from Florida named Braxton Dennis finished the sandwiches in 17 minutes, which is not only the best time but the only winning time to date.The eatery dares diners to its “free or fee” contest between 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays through Feb. 28. Eat five of On the Grill's falafel sandwiches (pita, five falafel balls, salad, a schmear of hummus and tahini sauce) in 29 minutes and your bill is waived, plus you win a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant. Fail to finish in that time and you pay your full check. Contestants, win or lose, get their photo on the restaurant's “wall of fame or shame.” Signs posted in the window and inside of the small shop at 98-102 Queens Blvd. list the rules.The reigning champ would have finished in even more impressive time but for a technicality – he had to finish everything in the sandwich.”He finished in 11 minutes, but the salad fell out and it took him another six minutes” to clean his plate, said restaurant co-owner Denise Pristera.On the Grill chef/co-owner Zuriel Kalaf has been connected to the falafel business since childhood, when his father owned a shop connected to the cinema in his native Yavna, Israel.”This is my father's recipe, but I've made it better through the years,” he said.The 29-minute time limit sounds arbitrary but in reality is anything but.”When I was a kid, I remember how long it took to eat a falafel,” Kalaf said.The tab for those who cannot finish the five sandwiches is still not all that steep – about $21, Kalaf said. And the winners get a gift certificate for $50 for “anything on the menu, not just falafel,” he said. Dennis may get a bonus prize, perhaps an additional gift certificate, but they have not yet decided, Kalaf and Pristera said.The contest was a friend's idea. “Next, maybe we'll do a contest for the ribsteak, because it's 1 pounds,” he said. “Or the vegetarian hamburger. We want to give a chance to people who can't do other contests.”As a publicity stunt, the competition has certainly attracted attention – Kalaf and Pristera said people often come in to inquire, promising to come back, and one dropped by Sunday, which is not a contest day.”It started for fun; we want to make it fun,” Kalaf said.Reach reporter Alex Christodoulides by e-mail at achristodoulides@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
