It's time: Gobblerito returning to Mad Mex

Instead of cake and ice cream it will be turkey and stuffing for this birthday celebration.

Big Burrito Restaurant Group’s Mad Mex is turning 30, and the annual return of the Gobblerito kicks off the party on Monday.

The Thanksgiving dinner in a burrito has house-roasted turkey, black bean mashed potatoes, stuffing and corn wrapped in a tortilla, topped with gravy and served with cranberry sauce.

The Gobblerito has grown in popularity each year, according to Big Burrito Restaurant Group president Bill Fuller. It used to be served starting a month before Thanksgiving but has been returning in mid-September for the past several years because of the demand, Fuller said.

“There is definitely a demand because as soon as we release it, we sell a ton of them.”

He said there is a lull after a few weeks and then a rise in sales the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. He said they usually sell 50,000. The Monroeville location is usually the top seller.

The cost is $14 and it packs 1,490 calories, according to the Mad Mex website.

“It is like two meals for most people,” Fuller said. “I can only eat half because as you get older you don’t eat as much. It also perfect as leftovers.”

It will be available until Nov. 22, the day before Thanksgiving. But, if there are any leftover ingredients, guests might still see it on the menu the day after Thanksgiving, Fuller said. They’ve tried in the past to keep the Gobblerito available through the holidays, but it’s not as popular after Thanksgiving because people have moved on to the next holiday meal, Fuller said.

“It is definitely Gobblerito time,” Fuller said. “When the weather starts getting cooler, people start thinking about comfort foods and the Gobblerito is definitely a comfort food. Fall is also the time of year people start thinking about other items such as pumpkin and apple cider.”

In 2019, the Tribune-Review got a behind-the-scenes look at how this menu item came to be and how it’s made.

The Gobblerito will be available at all nine Mad Mex locations. There are eight restaurants in the Pittsburgh area and one in Erie.

To celebrate three decades, Mad Mex will be offering a margaritas called Tres Décadas and curated beer with Tres Décadas options from Fat Head’s and Grist House. On Oct. 30, all dinner sales will be donated to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.