Gringo Bandito Taco Challenge at Weeman’s Chronic Tacos

By Mike Vallens

After 4 years of increasing success and notoriety, Chronic Tacos is back hosting the 5th Annual Gringo Bandido Taco Challenge, and the lineup is headlined by two of the top eaters in competitive eating today. Takeru Kobayashi and Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti are decorated veterans with multiple championships between them. In addition, there were a few up and comers who would give their best to make a name for themselves.

The competition is named for the popular hot sauce brand Gringo Bandito brought to us by Dexter Holland of The Offspring, whose face graces the bottle. Spectators were treated to complimentary bottles of three different flavors, all of which are unique in their own right.

The home of the competition is held at Weeman’s Chronic Tacos in Redondo Beach. Jason Acuna, better known for his alter ego “Weeman” from Jackass fame, is a primary investor and his location is one of the most visited Chronic Tacos of them all.

The Chronic Taco’s story is a story of how hard work and dedication leads to success. Founded by Randy Wyner in 2002, Chronic Tacos opened their first shop in Newport Beach. Huntington Beach was an ideal place to set up a second shop and from there, sky was the limit. Their first franchise opened in San Clememte in 2006.

After Weeman’s shop opened in 2008, Chronic Tacos enjoyed being in the public eye with spots on TV show West Coast Customs and movie Jackass 3D. In addition, the company has expanded to Canada and Las Vegas in the Palm Hotel and Casino.

After selling the company to new owners, lead by Michael Mohammed, Chronic Tacos has expanded to 30 stores and 23 franchises. Mohammed explains that his vision for the company is to have over 300 locations opened by 2020.

While there was a laid back feeling amongst the spectators, there was an underlying sense of anticipation which was felt from the beginning of the amateur competition. Anyone 18 and over was able to sign up and compete in a 3 minute contest. The winner ended up gobbling down 13 tacos in those 3 minutes, a feat which they should be proud of.

After some entertainment from an all female mariachi band, Mariachi Divas, the professionals took the stage. The air was thick as tension built with the competitors being introduced, each one setting up their station with strategic precision. With everyone at their designated positions, they were ready to see what was in store for them as the trays of tacos were brought to the stage.

On the trays were 20 tacos in 2 lines of 10 each. The tacos comprised of corn tortillas and an ample amount of chicken. I was fortunate enough to try an official competition taco, and can attest to the fact that this competition would not be easy.

The previous year, Kobayashi won the contest eating a whopping 130 tacos. There was talk amongst the crowd that Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti was going to upset the international sensation.

As the contest began, the competitors clearly had their own strategy. Some just wolfed down tacos, while others dipped their tacos in large cups of water or some type of sugared beverages. With the corn tortilla being the main challenge, the dip seemed to be the smartest strategy. I was assigned the duty to judge the inspirational, Erik “The Electric” Lamkin. Having fought through a bought with anorexia, Lamkin has devoted his life to competitive eating and cycling.

With the crowd whipped up in a frenzy, and the kids in the front row cheering for their favorite competitors, the count climbed to new heights.

After all was said and done, the contest top three were as follows:

1st place winner of a $5,000 cash prize and new world record with 144 tacos is defending champion Takeru Kobayashi. 2nd place and $1,000 cash prize went to Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti with a count of 114 tacos. Finally, in 3rd place and with a $500 cash prize, Erik “The Electric” Lamkin came in with 81 tacos in 10 minutes, beating his original goal.

The event was a complete success, building on the previous 4 years of the Gringo Bandito Taco Eating Challenge. It is now considered one of the premiere eating competitions on the west coast and hopefully will continue to claim its place as a destination for competitors and fans year in and year out compared with some of the more established competitions on the east coast. With major draws like Kobayashi and Deep Dish, the sky’s the limit for this Chronic Tacos and the Gringo Bandito Taco Eating Challenge.

Click Here to for a review of a Night with Cakes and Cocktails.