Hot Dogs and Asking Better Questions

What we can learn from the Godfather of Competitive Eating on innovation and asking better questions.

Author

Zach Brandon
January 12, 2025

The Godfather of Competitive Eating

How many hot dogs could you eat in 12 minutes?

Be honest. Two? Five? Maybe ten if you’re feeling ambitious? Well, unless you moonlight as a competitive eater, it’s probably nowhere near 50. That’s exactly what Takeru Kobayashi devoured on July 4th, 2001, at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Not only did Kobayashi double the previous record of 25 1/8 hot dogs (yes, someone counted that eighth), but he also went on to win the contest six years in a row, earning himself the title of the Godfather of Competitive Eating.

Although fans and hot dog enthusiasts may know that part of his story, very few might know how it all started.

His journey started humbly. In 2000, Kobayashi was a poor college student living in an apartment with his girlfriend, Kumi, where they’d light candles for warmth due to no longer being able to afford their electricity bill (Romantic? Maybe. Practical? Not so much).

One day, Kumi learned about a televised eating contest that paid $5,000 to the winner and, unbeknownst to Kobayashi, she sent in a postcard to sign him up. Despite a slight build and limited size, Kobayashi consumed enough noodles to win the $5,000 cash prize. His early success shifted his attention to becoming pro and training for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, which is considered the Super Bowl of competitive eating contests.

From the onset, Kobayashi adopted a unique approach compared to his competitors: Work smarter, not harder. He sought unexpected advantages in the rulebook, experimented with different techniques (e.g. breaking the hot dog in half, eating the hot dog and bun separately, dunking the bun in water), conducted video reviews of his training, and removed friction by asking different questions.

Instead of asking: “How can I eat more hot dogs?” he asked: “How can I make eating hot dogs easier?”

This subtle shift in thinking led to innovation. It enabled Kobayashi to identify hidden barriers to performance and create new solutions. Think of it like trying to fill a giant jar with pebbles. Most people would focus on frantically shoveling in handful after handful, spilling half of them along the way. Kobayashi’s approach was more like using a funnel: simple, efficient, and designed to make each pebble slide in effortlessly.

This method eliminated inefficiencies and allowed him to double the record, eating 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes. His success wasn’t just about stomach capacity, it was about redefining the problem and removing friction.

Better Questions → Better Solutions → Better Results

If Kobayashi had stuck with conventional thinking, he might still be gnawing on his 26th hot dog. Instead, Kobayashi’s story is a masterclass in thinking differently and eliminating unnecessary obstacles to shatter limits.

As a coach or leader, it’s easy to focus on pushing your team harder, expecting results through sheer effort alone. But sometimes, the real breakthrough comes from asking different questions:

  • What’s making this harder than it needs to be?

  • How can I make this challenge easier?

  • What would simplifying this process look like?

By questioning assumptions and focusing on how to simplify processes, coaches can help their people and teams find smarter, more effective solutions. Better questions yield better solutions, and better solutions yield better results.

Whether you’re in sports or business, this principle holds true: The answers you get are only as good as the questions you ask.

Application for Coaches:

1. Ask New Questions — Legendary soccer coach and Hall of Famer, Anson Dorrance, says “The key to coaching is asking the right questions, not providing all the answers. It’s how you help players discover their own solutions.”

Sometimes it’s not about asking our people to “think outside the box,” but rather finding a completely new way to describe the box.

For example:

  • Instead of hitters asking “How can I get more hits?” try, “How can I make hitting easier?”

  • Instead of a coach asking, “How can my team score more points? try, “What would make scoring easier?”

  • Instead of a salesperson asking “How can I close more deals? try, “How can I make it easier for the customers to say yes?”

2. Foster a Culture of Experimentation — Kobayashi didn’t stumble upon his method by accident: He experimented. Encourage your team to try new approaches, test ideas, and learn from failures. Remind them that innovation often comes from trial and error, not sticking to “the way it’s always been done.” Remind your team:

  • Mistakes are data, not disasters.

  • A failure isn’t a stop sign, it’s a sign to recalibrate.

In the wise words of Ashton Eaton (2-time Olympic medalist and former world record holder in the decathlon), “Practice is purposeful, intentional iterations of failure.”

Final Words:

Kobayashi’s success was a product of thinking differently and reimagining what was possible. As a coach, you have the same opportunity to help your team unlock their potential by asking smarter questions, removing friction, and fostering a culture of experimentation.

Inspiration for This Piece: