Bandido's El Gigante requires parental consent for minors

El Gigante — Bandido’s monstrous burrito — has attracted both hungry competitors and now, a policy change.

Weighing in at 4 1/2 pounds, El Gigante is loaded with 16 different ingredients, including black beans, rice, cheese, bell peppers and steak and chicken fajitas. It costs $16.95.

Tony Sustaita, owner of Bandido’s, said a minor took on the challenge at one location about a year ago and got sick.

He said the parents of the competitor tried to sue Bandido’s.

The lawsuit was dismissed, but he decided to implement a policy in all three Bandido’s locations that requires anyone younger than 18 to have parental consent to compete in the challenge.

“I’d rather be safe than sorry in the future”, Sustaita said.

Mark Chiodini, an employee at the restaurant’s Chapel Hill location — in an alley off Franklin Street — has worked at Bandido’s since 1997.

He said more people take on El Gigante at the Franklin Street location because of its high population of college students.

“We have probably had more people try the challenge at the Chapel Hill location because of the
presence of fraternities and being in a college town,” Chiodini said.

The challenge was born 17 years ago, when an employee at another Bandido’s wanted to test his hunger.

Sustaita said he made the first El Gigante and dared the worker to finish it.

Since then, many have tried to conquer El Gigante.

But Sustaita said only about 25 to 30 percent of challengers manage to finish the burrito in a single meal.

Upon completing the untimed challenge, the winner receives a free “I conquered El Gigante” T-shirt, and a Polaroid photo of the victory is placed on the restaurant’s wall.

Sustaita said the restaurant has given away about 5,000 shirts.

“Many people have succeeded, but even more have come up short”, he said.

But the high failure rate of the El Gigante challenge has not lessened its popularity.

In fact, Sustaita said he has plans to start a timed El Gigante competition that lasts throughout an entire year.

The competitors with the top six times would then compete for a cash prize at the end of the year, he said.

Allen Lyons, a UNC junior majoring in computer science, said he attempted the El Gigante challenge last December.

“I failed — I got about two-thirds through the challenge,” he said. “I normally don’t push myself to get sick.”

Lyons said he thinks the parental consent policy for minors is a good idea because younger competitors might not know when to stop eating.

“Eating challenges exist everywhere, and if you choose to eat so much to get sick then it’s your choice,” he said.

Carter Bryson, a UNC sophomore, also supports the policy for minors.

“I think its a good idea,” he said. “It makes it a no-lose situation for the restaurant in the future.”
And the competition isn’t just for students.

Chiodini said he’s never tried El Gigante, but he has wanted to attempt the challenge for years.

“Any challengers come in and try it,” Chiodini said. “It’s a once in a lifetime thing, and you get to keep the shirt forever.”

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com