Airports in the United States have been exceptionally treacherous places recently, from ridiculously long security lines to President Donald Trump’s wasteful decision to send ICE agents in just so they can stand around and occasionally harass travelers. And, of course, there’s the horrific deadly crash that recently occurred and killed two pilots. But this week there was at least one at the Philadelphia International Airport, because that’s where the Guinness World Record for the longest line of Philly cheesesteak sandwiches was set, with 1,291 of Philly’s iconic sandwiches lined up on tables in the walkway between Terminals B and C.
The organizers chose to attempt the record on March 24th, which was National Cheesesteak Day. According to AP News, “After the record was certified, volunteers handed out the sandwiches to travelers, airport workers and Transportation Security Administration staff, who have been working without pay during the government shutdown.”
A free Philly cheesesteak for working at TSA feels as lame as a company throwing its employees a pizza party instead of giving them raises, but I suppose it’s better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick.
This record was more than twice as many sandwiches as the benchmark
If you can believe it, there was no previous Guinness World Record for the longest line of Philly cheesesteaks, but Guinness set a benchmark of at least 500 sandwiches for this attempt. The final number of 1,291 consecutive cheesesteaks was a strange one, but significant nonetheless.
According to the press release issued by Philadelphia International Airport, “Multiple concessionaires from PHL Food & Shops, in partnership with the City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation, have been collaborating for months to deliver this culinary win for Philly.”
The record-setting row of sandwiches spanned the length of more than three football fields, and was made of 990 pounds of shaved ribeye, 225 pounds of cheese sauce, and over 1,200 foot-long bread rolls. According to AP News, “The cheesesteak, which originated in Philadelphia in the early 1900s, is widely considered the city’s signature food. LeJeune called it ‘synonymous’ with Philadelphia, alongside its sports culture.”
