Famous Food

A little COVID fallout didn't stop hot dog eating champ Joey Chestnut from breaking his own record this year -- despite the fact there was no crowd -- 'cause the guy did just that and then some.

JC took top honors (again) Saturday at the annual July Fourth Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest -- which saw the dude down 75 dogs in 10 minutes ... beating his own previous benchmark of 74 from last year. It's his 13th title total ... so basically, a G.O.A.T.

During the festivities, he also hit another food vacuum milestone -- his 1,000th career dog! The feat wasn't without its hiccups (damn near vomit fests), but he held off 'til the end.

BTW, Joey wasn't the only making history this weekend -- there's a women's champ too ... the one and only Miki Sudo, who downed 48.5 franks ... which easily beat the competition.

This year's event was unique in that there were no ticketholders or spectators (aside from the eaters' own teams, of course) ... which made for a somewhat muted performance. There was also plexiglass between the competitors -- so pretty distance friendly we'd say.

The only downside to Saturday's dog chugging event was that Joey did NOT live up to his promise to TMZ Sports earlier in June, when he said he'd hit 77 dogs no problem.

The Atlas Restaurant Group says there was nothing racist about refusing service to a black mother and her child for violating their dress code -- and it's offering what it calls "proof" ... but it's pretty thin.

As TMZ reported, Marcia Grant is taking legal action against the group for an incident last month at Ouzo Bay restaurant in Baltimore. Marcia and her 9-year-old son, Dallas, were turned away because of his athletic shorts, but Marcia spotted a white child who was dressed nearly identically enjoying a meal.

In response to Grant's accusations, Atlas -- the parent company of Ouzo Bay -- claims Dallas' shorts were, in fact, different from the white kid's.

Its explanation is the white kid was wearing "J. Crew 'khaki'” type shorts, with front and back pockets, a zipper, and button closure in front."

Beyond breaking down zippers and pockets ... Atlas is also playing what can best be described as the "I have Black friends" card.

Its released screen grabs from Ouzo's surveillance video showing other Black customers in the restaurant around the time Marcia and Dallas were denied.

As Atlas puts it, "Restaurant surveillance video throughout that same day at Ouzo Bay demonstrates that the customers of Ouzo Bay look exactly like the population of Baltimore City – diverse. Countless African-American patrons were welcomed into the restaurant that day to enjoy its food, atmosphere, and drinks."

That statement, of course, avoids the heart of Marcia's complaint ... that her son was treated differently from a white child in very similar clothing. Her only issue is with the manager's allegedly uneven application of the dress code.

Atlas claims her video of the encounter doesn't tell the whole story of what happened that day.

You'll remember ... Atlas immediately fired 2 employees following the incident, but claims the firings weren't because they discriminated against the family, but instead, "Atlas was not satisfied with the level of sensitivity, discretion, and judgment demonstrated by management on-duty at the time."

We had Marcia, Dallas and their attorney Donte Mills, on 'TMZ Live' this week to explain how Dallas has been affected, and how they're trying to make him understand ... he did nothing wrong.

Major League Soccer says its players are NOT getting the Fyre Festival treatment inside the Disney bubble -- claiming the players who posted sad sandwich pics are NOT inside the restricted area.

Toronto FC defender Omar Gonzalez posted a pic Tuesday showing an "MLS Is Back" In-Room dining menu which describes some delicious-looking, expensive food options ($65 for lunch!) ... cut next to an unimpressive sando in a brown box.

He tweeted out, "Yummm" ... leading people to believe the widely-touted Disney bubble was looking more like a sham than a glamorous experience.

Omar's teammate Eriq Zavaleta added fuel to the fire by posting another unappetizing sandwich pic. Not a great look.

But, our MLS sources tell us ... those two players are not yet in Orlando -- they're still in Toronto.

The league is unsure who shot the photos -- but reps say the food was served at a quarantine site OUTSIDE the official bubble where players are required to stay for 10 to 12 hours until they are cleared to enter.

There is basic food service at the quarantine site -- like sandwiches, etc -- but since it's essentially a layover spot, the food service isn't as robust.

Once players are allowed into the Walt Disney World bubble environment, it's a completely different story.

We're told players will get "banquet meal" service served in their club meal rooms -- and so far, the feedback on the food has been super positive.

Also, all players will have access to 4 restaurants in the bubble -- including Shula’s Steak House, Todd English Bluezoo, Il Mulino, and Kimonos sushi restaurant.

We're also told, "Players do not pay for meals."

So, yeah ... the travel meal might not be the fanciest food in the world, but MLS insists they're not pulling a Billy McFarland.

J.R. Smith seems excited about his reunion with LeBron James -- he's already rockin' a Lakers hat around town!

Check out the pic of Smith hitting up Pinches Tacos on Tuesday -- Lakers hat, Black & Mild in his mouth, red bandana around his neck.

Of course, 34-year-old Smith was reportedly finalizing a deal earlier this week to join the Lakers for the remainder of the season ... now that Avery Bradley has opted out.

So, this pic leads us to believe it's probably a done deal. Now, the biggest hurdle -- will the season actually happen?

Several NBA players and staffers have tested positive for COVID-19 recently -- with commish Adam Silver acknowledging they might have to shut down the reboot if there's a larger outbreak.

But, for now, Smith seems content with his team, his food and his smoke.

Smith hasn't played an NBA game since Nov. 2018 -- back when he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers ... but he's been keeping himself in shape by beating up alleged vandals in the streets of L.A.

A British journalist reporting live from home got yanked back into the field of family life during her broadcast -- and it's freakin' adorable ... even if the anchor didn't think so.

Sky News' foreign affairs editor, Deborah Haynes, was live on the air Wednesday with presenter Mark Austin -- and they were talking shop about a new law across the pond that'll allow millions of people in Hong Kong to -- y'know what, let's just get to Deborah's cute kid.

Her young son -- who can't be more than 5 -- storms into the room she's doing her live shot from ... and saunters over to bring something of the utmost importance to her attention -- biscuits. Highest priority!!!

Deborah handled the situation as gracefully as she could, excusing herself from the chat for a moment to address her boy's pressing concerns ... namely, if he could have 3 biscuits.

She haggled and gave him the okay for 2 -- but by then, the camera had cut back to Mark in the studio and he was already moving on, seemingly irritated by the interruption. He kept it relatively chill too though, saying that's what happens when reporting amid a lockdown.

Of course, that phenomenon isn't specific to coronavirus or WFH, per se -- and the Brits oughta know that first-hand. This reminds us of another very famous/very funny kid-trusion a few years back that happened live on the BBC, before COVID-19 was running rampant.

American professor Robert Kelly was doing a live shot from home to dish on South Korean policy, when his own two young children sashayed into the room ... only to have his wife fly in after them and yank them out.

Brian Austin Green is a single man on the loose, and it seems his first legit post-Megan Fox rebound hails from down under ... to which we say, ya done good, BAG.

We got the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star on a lunch date Tuesday on Melrose with Australian model Tina Louise -- who ya probably recognize from Maxim and a ton of other magazine covers over the years. No PDA on display here, but it definitely looked like a classic L.A. lunch date.

We should say ... a would-be lunch date, 'cause the Sugar Taco they were trying to nosh in wasn't quite open when they rolled up. Instead, they did a lap around the block together. Eventually, they did eat and left together ... our camera guy got them on the way out.

We tried asking Brian if this was his new squeeze, but he wasn't in the mood to talk about his love life all that much. What he did dish on ... how other bachelors should navigate the pandemic dating scene these days. Spoiler alert -- his advice is hanging off his own neck in the clip.

Now, here's the scoop with these 2 ... we're told they are hanging out and seem to be pretty into each other. Our sources say they linked up on social media a couple weeks ago and bonded over their love for animals -- hence Sugar Taco, a well-known vegan joint ... which Tina happens to co-own.

Wonder who picked up the tab?

NFL superstar Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo are officially at war -- don't worry, their relationship is doing just fine -- but they're now competing against each other for the best abs on the planet!!!

The Carolina Panthers RB and former Miss Universe hit the waters for a romantic meal on Monday ... eating up all the Chick-fil-A sandwiches they could fit in their shredded bodies.

OC posted a snap from the getaway on Instagram ... with the couple sharing a kiss in between bites.

"You had me at fried chicken sandwich," Culpo posted.

OC's fellow S.I. Swimsuit model friend Brooks Nader took notice of the biggest takeaway from the picture ... adding the simple caption, "Abs!"

Of course, OC and CMC have been pretty much inseparable ever since they started dating in 2019 ... and we're sure quarantining together has been a hell of a time.

Remember, if you're gonna join Olivia and Christian in eating a bunch of fried chicken, you're not gonna look like them unless you work out nonstop like they do.

Yeah ... we may settle for a salad.

Emily Sears -- a model known for starring in some saucy Carl's Jr. ads -- is recovering from successful brain surgery ... and looking forward to getting her life back after a major health scare.

Emily tells TMZ ... she underwent a craniotomy last week in order for surgeons to remove a cavernoma, a cluster of abnormal blood vessels that was irritating her brain tissue and causing seizures.

The model says she was in a store in L.A. back in April 2019 when she had her first seizure and collapsed, which led to her diagnosis.

Despite trying several medications to deal with the issue, she had at least 5 more seizures before suffering a bad fall near the end of the year ... which is when she decided to schedule brain surgery to remove the cluster.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic delayed her procedure, but she was finally able to have it done last week ... and it was an extremely intricate process.

We're told, Emily's surgery took more than 5 hours because the cavernoma was against the speech area of her brain ... so doctors had to wake her up in the middle of it to test her speech with flashcards, to make sure they didn't remove any vital tissue.

Whoa.

Thankfully, Emily says the surgery was a success -- the whole cluster was removed -- and she's happy and healing and eager to return to normal living.

Get well soon!

The African-American woman who was denied entry to a Baltimore restaurant because of her son's t-shirt is shunning the establishment's apology ... because the incident traumatized her 9-year-old boy.

Marcia Grant and her spokesperson, Michelle Watts, tell TMZ ... the restaurant, Ouzo Bay, has a well-established practice of discrimination, and an apology from the restaurant group rings hollow at this point and does nothing for Marcia and Dallas.

The way they see it ... why would Marcia and her son, Dallas, accept an apology at this point? The restaurant wouldn't allow him to sit down due to a dress code it very clearly -- thanks to Marcia's video -- did NOT apply to a white child.

Watts tells us this was Dallas' first bout with blatant discrimination, and it's had a major impact on him ... one his mother fears will change him forever.

We're told the family has no plans to ever eat at an Atlas Restaurant Group property again, and Marcia's retained civil rights attorney Donte Mills.

Watts says it's obvious from the video ... the only difference between Dallas and the white kid, who was allowed to dine at Ouzo, is their race. They were both wearing very similar clothing.

As for the restaurant manager who turned away Marcia and Dallas ... Watts says his actions show how much people need to learn about the deep, lasting effects of racist acts.

The Atlas Restaurant Group says it fired 2 managers because of the incident, revised its dress code policy and will "continue to implement our diversity and inclusion training."

A Trader Joe's was the backdrop for an explosion of anger by a customer who felt it was her right to shop without a face mask.

The woman came to the San Fernando Valley store Friday wearing a mask ... the manager tells TMZ. At some point, as she was shopping the mask disappeared from her face. She says she has a breathing problem and that's why she took the mask off, but her lungs were filled with anger as her voice billowed through the store.

Either way ... we're told employees approached the woman and asked her to cover her face, but she refused. At that point, she goes insane, suggesting this was some sort of conspiracy by Democrats.

She was ordered to leave the store -- which she did.

A witness who was at the Chipotle restaurant during the Darius Leonard incident tells TMZ Sports ... the NFL star did nothing wrong and insists Leonard was racially profiled.

The witness spoke to us on the condition of anonymity -- but we were able to confirm the person was at the South Carolina location at the time of Thursday's incident.

The witness says Leonard was peacefully enjoying his meal with his party and NEVER trash-talked the other patron -- who had complained to management about Leonard's group being aggressive and unruly.

We're told the Indianapolis Colts superstar appeared upset when the manager asked his group to leave -- but he never lost his cool.

In fact, we're told after leaving the restaurant, Leonard went back inside to explain to the manager why he believed the situation was unfair and racially motivated.

Our witness says Leonard was polite and respectful during the interaction with the manager.

Afterward, Leonard went to IG and called the dude out -- saying he's sick of being treated like a criminal simply because he's Black.

After Leonard went public, we're told the store commissioned an armed security guard to man the front door as a precautionary measure.

As we previously reported, Chipotle's CEO personally reached out to Leonard and promised a thorough investigation into the incident.

Indianapolis Colts superstar linebacker Darius Leonard claims he was wrongly kicked out of a Chipotle restaurant in South Carolina ... insisting it's all because he's Black.

The 24-year-old All-Pro says he was eating with his family Thursday -- "3 other Black guys and a mixed woman" -- when another patron (who is white) complained to management that Leonard was "verbally abusing him."

Leonard says the allegation is a straight-up lie -- but the restaurant manager walked over to his table and treated him like a criminal anyway ... booting him from the restaurant and threatening to call the police.

Leonard says what really pisses him off is the white patron got the benefit of the doubt without a shred of evidence -- and says this is the type of crap Black people have to deal with all the time.

"We’re talking about Black Lives Matter and for the guy to look at us and lie and laugh in our face as we walk out and the manger ... just come up here and just basically kick us out of Chipotle?! And, we felt like he was very disrespectful and that’s the white privilege that we are talking about.”

"We are tired of this," Leonard says ... "I'm telling you what I go through as a Black man in America. Ya'll don't understand what I go through."

"Ya'll see the police killing us. Ya'll seeing all the injustices that we go through. I live it. Day in and day out. And, I'm f*cking tired of it. Yes, I'm upset. I'm tired of it."

We reached out to the Chipotle where the incident took place but they offered no comment. We also reached out to the corporate office but so far no word back.

One of the largest supermarket chains based in the Southeast is considering dropping its name after nearly 100 years ... a move triggered by the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sources at Winn-Dixie tell TMZ ... the supermarket chain -- billed as a southern heritage brand serving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi -- is considering changing its name because, just like The Chicks, it deems the term "Dixie" as problematic due to ties to the old south and its way of thinking.

We're told the grocery chain doesn't have a name picked out just yet, but based on the folks we spoke with it looks like it may only be a matter of time before making a switch. If the grocery chain does make a change, it'll come on the heels of The Chicks dropping "Dixie" from its name.

As for the official response, a Winn-Dixie spokesperson tells TMZ ... "At Southeastern Grocers, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive culture and community that promotes belonging, inclusion and diversity. As such, we stand against racism and support the Black Lives Matter movement across our country."

THE RED SKINS ARE CHANGING THEIR NAME!!!

No, sadly, not Washington's NFL team -- but rather the lesser-known candy ... which Nestle now says is getting a makeover due to the racist implications of the moniker.

In a statement released Tuesday ... the candy company said it'll do away with the "Red Skins" name because it's straight up "out of step with Nestle’s values."

"This decision acknowledges the need to ensure that nothing we do marginalises our friends, neighbours and colleagues," Nestle officials said.

In addition to "Red Skins", the company also says it's canning the "Chicos" name for its jelly candy ... citing the racial undertones there too.

Props to the org. for realizing the ignorance and vowing to swiftly right the wrong ... but it all begs the question -- what is going on in the NFL?!

The Redskins -- who last week cut ties with their racist ex-owner George Preston Marshall by helping facilitate the removal of a stadium monument and FedExField lower bowl naming -- STILL refuse to acknowledge the need to reconsider their team name.

Despite many Native Americans finding it offensive -- and D.C.'s mayor calling for change -- owner Dan Snyder has repeatedly been reluctant to move on from the mascot.

So, could a candy company giving in finally be the catalyst that gets the NFL's gears turning on the issue???

A cop enjoying his Starbucks Frappuccino says he got a nasty surprise halfway through, when he discovered a tampon floating around in his drink ... and there's now an official police investigation.

An off-duty LAPD officer purchased his Frapp Friday at a Starbucks inside a Target in Diamond Bar, CA. He used his police credit union debit card to buy the drink, and says he found the feminine hygiene product inside ... before marching back into the store to confront the staff.

We've confirmed the L.A. County Sheriff's Department took a report and is now investigating it as a possible food tampering incident. Deputies are pulling surveillance footage.

A Baltimore restaurant is apologizing to an African-American woman and her son, who were clearly the victims of discrimination when the manager refused to seat them ... for reasons that made no sense.

The Atlas Restaurant Group was reacting to cell phone video shot by Marcia Grant as they tried to get a table at the Ouzo Bay restaurant. You hear the manager tell them they can't be seated because her son's wardrobe violated the restaurant's dress code.

Here's the problem ... there was another child in the restaurant -- a white child -- who was allowed in and he was dressed almost identically to Marcia's son.

The manager was unmoved, but unable to explain the different treatment.

Atlas Restaurant Group said they were “sickened," adding, "While dress codes across Atlas properties are the result of ongoing input from customers, in no way are they intended to be discriminatory." Atlas now says children under 12 accompanied by a parent will no longer be subject to a dress code.

Atlas said the manager has been placed on "indefinite leave."