A restaurant group in Idaho is determined to reclaim what it insists was theirs to begin with: a world record involving cheesesteaks.
On Sunday, Happy Day Restaurants — a company with a slate of eateries across the Gem State — is hosting an event where they’ll attempt to assemble the longest cheesesteak.
It was only earlier this year that Philadelphia claimed that record with a massive event at Philadelphia International Airport, piling nearly 1,000 pounds of rib-eye atop Amoroso rolls as far as the eye could see.
Philly ended up setting an official Guinness World Record that fateful March day, with about 1,291 cheesesteaks stretching out about 1,271 feet. It’s worth noting that Philly’s cheesesteak line was the inaugural record for that category, according to a Guinness World Records adjudicator who spoke with The Inquirer.
» READ MORE: Guinness World Record for longest line of cheesesteaks is set at Philadelphia International Airport
But, over the years, others have attempted unofficial cheesesteak records — including Idaho.
In 2023, the Main Street Grill in Lewiston, Idaho, (operated by Happy Day Restaurants) completed a 722-foot line of cheesesteaks as part of a fundraiser event for the regional Boys and Girls Club. Locals took bragging rights and observers (including The Inquirer) admitted at the time that the sandwich line appeared to be a record-holder. But it was all under “unofficial” terms.
Now, let’s fast forward to this week.
The bad news: Lewiston, Idaho, is coming for Philly’s newly established “longest cheesesteak” world record. The good news: It’s still unofficial and the proceeds are going to charity — which is kind of hard to bash.
According to a statement from Happy Day Restaurants, participants are aiming to break Philly’s record with an attempt of a 1,350 foot Philadelphia cheesesteak (notably, not called an Idaho or Lewiston cheesesteak).
The event will again benefit the local Boys and Girls Club with $10 sandwich tickets. In 2023, the fundraiser raised more than $10,000 for the organization.
This year’s attempt is also an effort to showcase local agriculture and food production infrastructure.
All of the cheesesteak ingredients, from the beef and veggies (including — gasp — peppers!!!) to the rolls, are being sourced locally for Sunday’s installation.
“It’s a demonstration of what our local food system can do,” the restaurant group said in a statement. “The hardest part of farming isn’t always growing the food. For small and medium-sized farms, one of the biggest challenges isn’t necessarily production. It’s finding someone who will reliably buy what they grow.”
The Lewiston cheesesteak line will include:
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1,350 rolls with regenerative grain from Cottonwood, Idaho.
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720 pounds of beef processed at a local USDA butcher shop (a 50/50 blend of Idaho beef and supplemental supply, citing summer heat impacting processing capacity).
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275-plus pounds of onions and peppers grown regionally in Lewis-Clark Valley.
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64 gallons of “cheese sauce” (their words not ours).
Asked for comment on Lewiston’s attempt to break Philly’s record, PHL sends its regards.
“As the first and current official Guinness World Record holder for ‘Longest Line of Cheesesteaks,’ MarketPlace PHL and the 18 restaurants serving cheesesteaks at Philadelphia International Airport send our very best wishes to Lewiston, Idaho,” Dana Krawchuk, MarketPlace PHL’s marketing manager who organized the airport’s spring record-breaker, said. “In partnership with all the Philly purveyors who supplied ingredients for 2026’s National Cheesesteak Day celebration honoring TSA workers at PHL and making Philly history … We just gotta ask the people of Lewiston, wit or witout?”