'I'm the world's biggest Wimpy fan and am eating at all 64 - here's the best one'

The world's biggest Wimpy fan is munching his way through all 64 of the chain's UK eateries as part of an epic 2,400-mile tour - in just 31 days.

Nostalgic Anthony Zupnik, 36, has been obsessed with the old-school burger joints for more than 30 years after falling in love with them as a child. He believes he may have devoured up to 1,000 Wimpy meals in his lifetime and mainly orders the same dish of a burger with ketchup and onions and a side of fries.

And, on one day, he visited five different branches of Wimpy as part of a supersized charity mission to eat at all their outlets across England and Scotland during July. Software developer Anthony said: "I've been a huge fan of Wimpy basically since birth... This tour is the proof, but I think I have been Wimpy's biggest fan for years."

"Every owner is enthusiastic about the brand, and they give you the time of day, and that's what you don't get at other fast food brands - you get no personalisation.

"Since I was a kid I've always had a hamburger with ketchup and onions. I've upgraded my burger size to a quarter-pounder... but the order is exactly the same. That whole ritual I have is very enjoyable and satisfying."

Anthony's love for the chain came from his godmother who ran its branch in Littlehampton, West Sussex, during the 70s and 80s where he grew up. And he particularly admires the familiarity of its flavours and how diners can eat with a knife and fork at the chain, founded in 1934 in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.

But sadly, in 2010, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer aged just 22 and was later treated at a unit run by the charity the Teenage Cancer Trust. After coming through the health scare and completing a degree in physics, he now hopes to raise money for the charity his fondness for Wimpy restaurants.

He added: "I had this idea for a while that I'd like to go and visit all the Wimpies in the country, but it seemed very gratuitous to do it without a reason. So I decided I could marry up this dream I've always had with a fundraiser for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

"To this day, I try to eat at Wimpy as often as I can, something which I am well known for amongst my friends and family. I enjoy the satisfaction of their familiarity, tasty food options, and the civilised manner of eating with a knife and fork."

Anthony, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, began his quest on July 1 at his local Wimpy in Huddersfield. But he plans to travel as far north as Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire and as far south as Swanage, Dorset, in his bid to sample food at all 64 restaurants.

However, it is not an eating challenge and on many visits he'll just be having a drink or light meal. But having always ordered the same meal at Wimpy, he is planning to broaden his horizons on the tour by trying other items.

He added: "As part of my quest, I'll try everything I possibly can on the menu to find out once and for all if my simple order is the bee's knees.

"But when I go to a Wimpy, I also like people to know what my order is. It's like when you go to a pub and the owner knows what your 'usual' is."

"I like that feeling you get, and that's what I've experienced so far during the tour."

Anthony is looking forward to meeting Wimpy owners, staff, and fellow enthusiasts while sharing their stories via his website and social media.

He went on: "People like to post on Instagram about all these luxurious places that they've been to, and I just like to post my pictures of me going to Wimpy."

One of Anthony's favourite Wimpy restaurants so far has been the chain's outlet in Felixstowe, Suffolk. He said: "The manager there had heard about me on the radio. She knew I was coming and she was very enthusiastic. The staff donated. We just had a great time."

Anthony was a student at Leeds University when he got his cancer diagnosis. And following support by Teenage Cancer Trust he continued with his studies, and was awarded a 2:1, which he says, 'felt like the greatest achievement of all time'.

He said of his time on their unit: "I often found it pretty hard to sleep, I was often up very late, and needed to be completely exhausted before I could get any sleep."

"Thankfully, the lounge area on the unit was open all hours and I spent my time watching TV. One of the first times I did this, one of the nurses, Fiona, came to sit with me and kept me company."

"The nurses would often do this when they could, and to have company when I would have otherwise been lonely was greatly appreciated. It's a shame I never really got to show the level of gratitude I have for the nurses as they made me feel so special."

Anthony also received help and support from Carrie, one of the charity's youth support coordinators before and after treatment. She arranged for him to attend one of the charity's peer support events, which he described as "life-changing".

Anthony added: "I became a bit of a recluse during treatment, and somehow felt ashamed of my diagnosis, and found it very difficult to talk to anyone about it. To be around people who had gone through similar experiences made it much easier.

"In a way I miss those days. I was made to feel so valued in those times, and that my life was important. And I think I needed it. Without this support I could easily have become a much more bitter and jaded person.

"Instead, I look back to those times and remember the good times, and rarely the bad."

Visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/wimpytour to sponsor Anthony's Wimpy tour fundraiser.