In celebration of World Pestaurant Day, Ehrlich Pest Control gave away a diverse menu of insect-infused dishes in downtown Boston, MA on June 3rd. Following on the success of last year’s Pestaurant in Washington, DC, Pestaurant Boston didn’t disappoint.

The event was held in Sam Adam’s Park right outside historic Faneuil Hall. We on the Ehrlich team arrived early Wednesday morning to set up our tables, tents and signs.

Our large pop-up banners advertising the exotic cuisine and cricket eating contest peaked the interest of hundreds of commuters walking down Congress Street, many of whom stopped to take pictures with their phones.

Pestaurant Partners

Locally owned Hostess Catering arrived on the scene shortly thereafter with all the pesty food and began setting up to grill delicious grasshopper burgers and serve New England “clorm chowda,” mealworm fried rice and chocolate chirp cookies.

Our goal with Pestaurant in 2015 was not only to increase awareness about pests but to support a worthy cause. For every person that tried an insect dish at Pestaurant, Ehrlich Pest Control made a commitment to donate $1 to The Greater Boston Food Bank.

@EventGalCarlen tried a grasshopper burger today at #Pesteraunt, generating a $1 donation for GBFB from @EhrlichPest! pic.twitter.com/eKKDyBapu0 — Gr8r Boston FoodBank (@Gr8BosFoodBank) June 3, 2015

Pestaurant Opens for Business

While Pestaurant officially was set to open for business at 11:30 am, curious Bostonites began wandering through the square around 10:30 am to ask questions and examine the edible insect fare being prepared. Groups of summer camp kids walking in single file lines in and out of Quincy Market waved and chanted “Pestaurant, Pestaurant!” as they walked by.

To entice the less adventurous diners, Ehrlich colleagues walked around the periphery of the square with food samples and convinced many to come and try the full menu. Before long, Pestaurant was officially open for business and the lunch crowds began making their way to Faneuil Hall for a midday snack they’d never forget.

#Pestaurant is now open: Join us outside @FaneuilHall for some gourmet dishes with insect ingredients! pic.twitter.com/zBzoVxGsdq — Ehrlich Pest Control (@EhrlichPest) June 3, 2015

The 2nd Annual Cricket Eating Contest

The cricket eating contest has begun #pestaurant pic.twitter.com/Z4YRas4BNE — Ehrlich Pest Control (@EhrlichPest) June 3, 2015

The highlight of Pestaurant for many was our 2nd annual Cricket Eating Contest. In the shadow of the famous Sam Adams Statue, 20 brave contestants seated at a long table raced to consume 3 cups full of crickets as fast as they could. The record time set in Washington, D.C. last June was quickly beat in Heat 1 at noon by local office worker, Mark, who scored a blistering time of 1:14.

Congratulations to Mark, the winner of our #Pestaurant Cricket Eating Contest! pic.twitter.com/1pl6QIwE90 — Ehrlich Pest Control (@EhrlichPest) June 3, 2015

Heat 2 at 1:00 pm was won by an unlikely competitor, 11-year-old Logan Jacobson. Young Logan’s triumph was captured by The Boston Globe brilliantly.

Logan Jacobson, 11, was the winner of the cricket eating competition at “Pestaurant” event http://t.co/QQ3cQGYHWt pic.twitter.com/4ftcNdsMtN — The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) June 3, 2015

The drama came to a riveting conclusion with our third and final heat being won by two contestants who tied and set a “New World Record” in competitive Pestaurant cricket-eating with a time of 0:58.21 seconds.

We have a new world record holder in our #pestaurant cricket eating contest! pic.twitter.com/N216vM3dVA — Ehrlich Pest Control (@EhrlichPest) June 3, 2015

#Pestaurant Sets Social Media Abuzz

The excitement at Pestaurant was not confined to those in Faneuil Hall Square. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were quickly flooded with pictures and videos from attendees. Pestaurantgoers were encouraged to take “Pest Selfies” with our cardboard cut-outs and use the hashtag #Pestaurant on their favorite Social Media networks.

The event was broadcast to all @EhrlichPest’s Twitter followers via the live streaming mobile app, Periscope. Those following the live stream could experience the excitement of attending a Pestaurant from anywhere in the world.

Below are a few of our favorite Social Media posts from the big day in Boston.

A photo posted by @elleanz on Jun 3, 2015 at 11:28am PDT

To view more photos from Pestaurant in Boston, we invite you to peruse our complete photo gallery on Facebook.