I Need the ‘Philly Rotisserie Chicken Guy’ to Come Back – A Poultry Plea

This was perhaps one of the greatest things to ever happen in Philadelphia - an event akin to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Get our free mobile app

Do remember the Philly rotisserie chicken guy? Of course you do. This chicken chomping champion went viral about a year ago, when for some inexplicable reason, he decided to eat 40 whole chickens, consecutively. One every day, for 40 days. On the 40th day, he invited everyone to come watch him eat his last rotisserie chicken at an abandoned pier along the Delaware River Trail in Philadelphia - via flyers posted all over the city.

His name is Alexander Tominsky, and after his spectated chicken feast last year, he's  firmly planted himself into Philadelphia's textured history; The pier where it all went down has officially been named "Chicken Pier" on Google Maps!!

The epic event was attended by hundreds of people, one cloudy day on November 6, 2022.

It was not a party. 

If you missed this piece of Philadelphia history last year, check out the video below!

When all was said, done and eaten. A hero emerged. Behold, the face of a newborn Philly legend.

My wish? Is for Alex to come back. He doesn't have to eat 40 chickens in 40 days every year, but maybe just one annually! In the same place, at the same time, every year. Until he dies.

Okay, no - not until he dies.

But this is just the type of beautiful, random, weirdly magical thing you can only find in a city like Philly. It brought people together. It distracted us from the insanity of the world. It gave us a new rallying cry. And if he continued, it would grow bigger and bigger every year. Might even become a local holiday.

All of this, we could say. But we wouldn't be telling him something he doesn't already know.

The clout profitability of making this an annual event is not lost on Alex. But he's retiring the chicken challenge, despite the huge local (and national) intrigue.

Tominsky told Axios Philadelphia last year, in the most Philly way ever: "I could exploit the s--t out of this thing for the rest of my life. That's just not something I care [to do]."

I respect it. Legends are made in Philadelphia. And legends never die.  But a girl can dream!

You can follow Alex on "X" (Twitter) @AlexiconTom.