Downtown Macon eateries to compete for Super Spud title in annual French Fry Fight

If there is one thing I have learned during my time writing Billy’s Let’s Eat Reviews, it is that Macon knows how to turn food into an event.

Late last year, I spent several days making my way through Macon Burger Week. I met restaurant owners, chefs, servers and fellow food lovers. I discovered burgers I never would have ordered on my own and found myself talking about food with complete strangers. It was one of the most enjoyable culinary experiences I’ve had since moving to Macon.

Just when I thought my waistline had finally recovered, along comes the Downtown Macon French Fry Fight from July 8-10. To me, this further solidifies my love for Macon’s growing food scene, 

For those who may not be familiar with the event, the French Fry Fight was launched in 2022 as a way to bring people downtown during the summer months. Since then, it has grown into one of Macon’s most anticipated food events. What started as a creative competition between local restaurants has evolved into a full-scale battle for what is arguably the most important trophy in downtown dining: bragging rights.

Past winners have included Cashman’s Pub, which captured the inaugural title with its Birria Fries and later returned to reclaim the crown with its Asian Sesame Fries. Last year, Macon Water Ice shocked the competition by taking home the coveted Super Spud Trophy with Buffalo Mac Fries loaded with macaroni and cheese, buffalo chicken, ranch and buffalo sauce.

If that sounds excessive, you clearly underestimate how seriously Macon takes its potatoes. And let’s not forget — I’m Irish and we take our spuds seriously as well. This is an exciting time! 

This year’s lineup features more than twenty downtown restaurants, and the entries sound absolutely wild. Diners will find everything from butter chicken fries and pineapple mango salmon fries to elote birria pork fries and even chocolate chip cookie fries. Somewhere along the way, this event stopped being about french fries and became a showcase of just how creative Macon’s culinary community can be.

What excites me the most about this event is that it encourages people to step outside their comfort zones. Much like Burger Week, it gives diners a reason to visit restaurants they may have never tried before. You might walk into a restaurant planning to order fries and leave with a new favorite place to eat.

As for me, I have not tasted a single entry yet. That adventure begins soon. Over the course of the event, I plan to make my way through as many participating restaurants as my schedule and stomach will allow. Some entries will undoubtedly be fantastic. Others may leave me questioning the decisions that led mankind to put certain ingredients on top of french fries. Either way, I am looking forward to every bite.

If Burger Week taught me anything, it is that food events like these are about far more than the food itself. They are about community. They are about supporting local businesses. They are about discovering something new in your own backyard.

According to NewTown Macon, the 2026 lineup includes Bearfoot Tavern, Biddy’s, Braddock’s, Cashman’s, Famous Mike’s, Flying Biscuit, Grant’s Lounge, H&H Soul Food, Hotel Forty Five/Loom/Hightales, Jalapeños, Just Tap’d, Kudzu Seafood, Little India, Longleaf, Macon Water Ice, Ocmulgee Brewpub, Oliver’s, Piedmont, Satterfield’s, Sweet Eleanor’s, Switch Macon and The Rookery. 

So if you see me wandering around downtown with a notebook in one hand and a basket of fries in the other, stop and say hello. Better yet, tell me which fries I absolutely cannot miss. My official French Fry Fight mission begins soon, and I cannot wait to share the results with you. Until next time Macon, let’s eat some French Fries! 

Billy Hennessey is the food columnist for The Melody. Write him an email at newlifenkiss@gmail.com.