Fine dining can be a fun way to expand your tastebuds but it can also lead to breaking a world record. A New York foodie was able to break a Guinness World Record by dining at 18 Michelin-starred restaurants in 24 hours.
Eric Finkelstein really started sharing an interest in dining out when he moved back to New York in 2021. The 34-year-old joined a Discord group about city restaurants, which led him to discover the Guinness World Record for most Michelin-starred restaurants visited in 24 hours.
“I loved the idea,” Finkelstein said. “It combined my loves of eating interesting food, working towards a checklist and working towards something silly.”
Finkelstein wanted to make sure the attempt was a success and took several months of planning and working to align reservations at a few of the more in-demand restaurants. Once it was time for the record-breaking day, the foodie started his attempt at Le Pavillon in Midtown and ended at Sushi bar Noda.
Finkelstein said he spent a total of $494 on food, which didn’t include tax or tips. He estimated the attempt caused him to consume about 5,000 calories in one day.
Surprisingly, this isn’t the only world record that Finkelstein has accomplished. The former competitive table tennis player previously set the Guinness World Records for longest table tennis serve (51 feet, 1 inch) and largest table tennis ball mosaic (313 square feet, 6 square inches).