Earlier this year, a popular Harrison Avenue restaurant and drive-thru, Royce’s, reached a milestone when it turned 50 years old. Well, its neighbor to the north, El Taco will note its golden anniversary May 11.
While the 50th birthday is worth mentioning, it’s also important to point out that this establishment offered something no other Butte restaurant at that time had on their menus — tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tostados and more.
That’s right! El Taco was Butte’s only Mexican restaurant and residents flocked to the town’s newest eatery. The novelty was what brought customers to the front counter but it was the food that kept them coming back.
Scott Wheeler remembered when his parents, Don and Carol Wheeler opened for business.
“From the get-go, it was busy as heck,” said Scott.
People are also reading…
Back then, Butte boasted 40 restaurants with 17 doing business up and down Harrison Avenue.
The restaurant was a dream of many years for Don Wheeler, who was introduced to Mexican food while studying veterinary medicine at Colorado State University. The introduction came via his college roommate, who hailed from Arizona.
“My dad thought the food was great,” said Scott, “and always thought he would open a restaurant.”
Don and Carol, both Colorado natives, came to Butte around 1958, where Don, a veterinary doctor, got a position with Burritt Animal Hospital. By 1961, he was an owner of Wheeler Animal Clinic.
“My parents thought Montana would be a good place to move,” explained Scott.
The Butte veterinarian never let go of his dream, though, of one day owning a restaurant.
By the next decade, the dream was closer to becoming a reality. As Scott recalled, the year prior to the restaurant opening, he and his siblings reaped the benefits.
“We had Mexican food practically every night,” recalled Scott, “as they were refining recipes and getting the menu prepared.”
The one-time home of Columbia Paints had now been completely revamped. Although the restaurant’s interior had limited seating, picnic tables were placed outside. The exterior included decorative awnings, along with a red sidewalk.
“The building was completely transformed,” said Scott.
Yes, it’s been 50 years, but Scott remembered the enthusiasm he and his family felt once the restaurant was completed.
“Watching it come to life was exciting,” said Scott, “and we were all really excited about the logo, too.”
Scott and his siblings spent a lot of their teen-age years helping out.
“Every morning me and my older brother Rob would ride our bikes down to clean the lots and scrub the floors,” said Scott.
Five decades have passed and the restaurant has become one of Butte’s iconic symbols — not just because of its longevity, but because through the years, it has given back to the community many times over.
Looking through back newspapers, the restaurant sponsored a number of local baseball teams and donated to many local causes.
El Taco also provided employment to many teen-agers and college students. It was also a place where some made life-long friends and even met their future spouses.
A few years back, one of those one-time employees organized a reunion of former workers.
“People came from all over,” said Scott.
During its 50-year history, the restaurant has been modified, but its outward appearance has remained mostly unchanged. Early on, the picnic tables were scrapped and a much larger interior allowed extra seating. When first opened, there was enough seating for just 15 patrons. By 1977, the restaurant was able to seat 80 people.
Every long-term business has experienced highs and lows, and El Taco was not immune. As a high school hangout for much of the 1970s and 1980s, that designation came with its own kind of headaches.
“My dad had to run some kids off,” said Scott. “It was a losing battle sometimes.”
So much so that by 1986, the restaurant changed its hours during the school year “due to vandalism and juvenile delinquency.”
Jump ahead to 2019 when COVID-19 became a reality and again, the pandemic changed the restaurant’s trajectory. Just like its neighbor, Royce’s, the restaurant had to make some business changes and is currently closed on the weekends due to staff shortage.
Even with those changes in effect, it remains a popular establishment for not just current residents but former ones, too.
“When they come home they make a trip to El Taco,” said Scott. “It’s a familiar place.”
0 Comments '); var s = document.createElement('script'); s.setAttribute('src', '); document.body.appendChild(s); window.removeEventListener('scroll', throttledRevContent); __tnt.log('Load Rev Content'); } } }, 100); window.addEventListener('scroll', throttledRevContent); }, false);Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
