Skip to content
Inside Beat

March Munchies: Championship game set after hotly contested Final Four

Top seed Hansel ‘n Griddle takes on No. 2 seed Destination Dogs in the championship round of March Munchies, the final weekend of the competition's first edition. – Photo by ​Mike Makmur

After a month of battles between the restaurants selected by The Daily Targum for the first annual March Munchies, the original field of 32 eateries has been reduced to two following last weekend’s Final Four.

Without further ado, here are the results from the penultimate round:

FINAL FOUR:

Matchup One:

No.1 Hansel n’ Griddle 593 (559 Targum Poll + 34 Twitter Poll) defeated No. 2 PJ’s Pizza 542 (525 + 17)

Matchup Two:

No. 2 Destination Dogs 476 votes (454 + 22) defeated No. 1 RU Hungry? 364 votes (338 + 26)

The Final Four was the most contested round yet, demonstrated best by a competition high in voter turnout. The contest between No. 1 Hansel and No. 2 P.J.’s became the first to break the 1,000 voter mark, yet the restaurants were separated by just 51 votes.

The other matchup didn’t break four-digits votes, but it remained competitive nonetheless. No. 2 Destination Dogs pulled away from RU Hungry? on the final day of the weekend, eventually defeating the iconic eatery by 112 votes.

The results set the table for one last head-to-head meeting between heavyweight favorites where Rutgers students and New Brunswick natives alike gained plenty of weight.

The differences between the last two standings are plenty.

Hansel n’ Griddle has a menu as diverse as those who enter the establishment late at night on weekends, with choices ranging from its famous popcorn chicken crisps and banana flip smoothies to wings and wedges, salads and soups, burgers and breakfast.

Destination Dogs, meanwhile, has a smaller menu. But what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality. It has a wide range of hot dog selections, separated between domestic dogs — with selections from Los Angeles to Texas, New Mexico to New York — and international dogs, with the Conquistadog from Spain, the Hebrew Hammer from Israel and the One Bite in Bangkok from Thailand among the options.

Both establishments are flexible, offering customizable, make-your-own options when ordering in-person, over the phone or online.

Staying on the vein of similarities, both fought through a difficult path to the New Brunswick championship round. Despite being a No. 1 seed, Hansel had to defeat KBG, Diesel & Duke and P.J’s, all extremely popular among the Rutgers student body. Meanwhile, two-seeded Destination Dogs defeated the king of New Brunswick Happy Hour Olive Branch before upsetting Tacoria, the top seed of the Cook/Douglass bracket, in the Elite Eight, before pulling off an even bigger upset against perhaps the most well-known Rutgers eatery in RU Hungry?

To win the championship, either side will have to defeat another titan in the Rutgers—New Brunswick culinary culture.

As every round before it, the New Brunswick championship round will be held from Thursday at noon until Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. The winner of the first annual March Munchies will be announced Wednesday in an article published in print and online.

One last time, make your voice heard and support your favorite among the final two restaurants.


March Munchies is a single-elimination tournament between 32 restaurants in the Rutgers/New Brunswick area decided by votes from the community. Polls are open Thursday through Sunday throughout the entire month of March, each week representing a different round in the tournament.

Make sure to follow us @Daily_Targum on Twitter and check our voting page frequently to stay up to date on every round and voting opportunity.


Related Articles


Join our newsletterSubscribe