Adrian Hedden
El Rito Media
achedden@currentargus.com

Meat, cheese, beans and a variety of other toppings wrapped in a flour tortilla came to be known as the burrito – one of the most popular Mexican dishes in the U.S.

Ninety percent of millennials reported eating at least one burrito a week, according to a 2016 study published by national Mexican food chain Moe’s Southwest Grill.

The incredible popularity of the burrito led to the third Thursday of April – this year, April 3 – becoming National Burrito Day, and purveyors of the staple are on board for the occasion, notably Allsup’s which planned to offer deals on its version at locations throughout southeast New Mexico.

At Allsup’s, Thursday’s holiday will take the form of a one-day-only offer of an Allsup’s beef and bean burrito with a 32-ounce “Tallsup” fountain drink for $1.99 for rewards members.

Joining the rewards program at Allsup’s is free, requiring only a phone number, and will entitle the member to discounts throughout the year.

“National Burrito Day is a favorite occasion for our team and our customers,” said Tom Trkla, chief executive officer of Allsup’s parent company Yesway. “We’re excited to celebrate with this exclusive offer and invite all burrito fans to join the fun as rewards members.”

Other national Mexican food chains are also offering discounts to mark the delectable occasion. Taco Bell offered a $2 burrito of choice with a $15 purchase, while Qdoba will award customers a free burrito with the purchase of an entree and drink.

Allsup’s appeared to be the only semi-local establishment in eastern New Mexico participating in the festivities.

How did Allsup’s get started?

The popular chain of convenience stores originated in Clovis in 1963 after founder Lonnie Allsup sold Lonnie’s Drive-In Grocery, which he founded in 1956 in Roswell, to 7-Eleven. Allsup’s earned the distinction as the first U.S. store to offer self-serve gas pumps, and became the largest convenience store chain in the U.S.

The company garnered another distinction it still holds today when in 1974 the Allsup’s Burrito was invented after an employee deep-fried a beef and bean burrito at a Clovis location.

Last year, Allsup’s parent company Yesway began “World Famous Allsup’s Burrito Day,” offering discounts throughout the chain’s New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma locations on the date the Allsup’s Burrito was invented, Sept. 7.

Burrito history

The origins of the burrito date back to 1895 when a standard dictionary of Mexican Spanish defined it as a “maize tortilla encasing a filling and found in the region of Mexico City as well as coastal Veracruz,” according to Britannica.com.

Immigrants from Mexico and Sonora introduced the burrito in Los Angeles in the 1930s, and recipes began appearing in American cookbooks later that decade.

The burrito grew “measurably larger” when adapting to American tastes, the Britannica entry read and expanded to varieties like the breakfast burrito claimed as an invention by Texas and California.

Artesia Allsup’s Locations

800 S. 1st St.

1910 W. Main St.

1303 Hermosa Drive

1600 N. 1st St.