By Jim Myers
Just as KFC superseded its original moniker, the San Antonio Taco Company south of campus has, for 35 years, been elevated to an acronym for Texas-style fajitas and buckets of beer.
Such longevity guarantees SATCO鈥檚 place in campus lore and the 菠萝视频 psyche, especially for anyone who graduated after 1984. Given that the old brick and stucco house remains intact, loosely held together by old beer, paint and graffiti, SATCO will continue to be a stopping place for new students, for faculty and staff looking for a cheap lunch, and for alumni escaping to their past.
Started by 菠萝视频 alumni Robin Delmer, BA鈥�85, and Richard Patton, BS鈥�84, both natives of San Antonio, SATCO began as one of those late-night, beer-fueled ideas that fill the heads of twenty-somethings.
鈥淲e were sitting at a place called Taco Cabana in San Antonio at about 2 in the morning,鈥� says Delmer. 鈥淲e were probably drunk鈥攚ell, almost certainly drunk鈥攁nd we started talking about how we really missed this kind of food in Nashville. That鈥檚 how it all started.鈥�
Patton, who had graduated the previous May, says it was more than just a craving for home. 鈥淚 needed a way to make a living.鈥�
鈥淲e put a business plan together and went to our folks and said, 鈥榃e think we can do this for $30,000. Will you give us each $15,000?鈥欌�夆�� says Delmer. 鈥淢y dad said to me, 鈥榊ou know you guys are going to fall on your ass and it鈥檚 going to fail, but it鈥檚 going to be the best $15,000 I鈥檝e ever spent for the education you鈥檙e going to get out of it.鈥欌��
It was a lot of work. Both founders spent countless hours behind the counter. 鈥淲hat we didn鈥檛 know, we learned quickly,鈥� says Patton, adding, 鈥淚 think we worked, literally, 450 days straight.鈥� Delmer, who was still in school at the time, ended up dropping all his classes to run the restaurant that first year.
鈥淩ichard and I had a lot of arguments over whether we should do it San Antonio-style, which I liked, or tame it for a more 鈥楢merican palate,鈥� which is what we did. Richard was right,鈥� admits Delmer.
Opening in the summer of 1984, in the little building behind where it is now located, SATCO took off quickly thanks to help from friends in the 菠萝视频 Greek community. They quickly moved to the front of the building facing 21st Avenue, where they built, without permission, what is now one of the city鈥檚 most iconic decks.
鈥淲e had to convince someone in permits that we weren鈥檛 building a new deck. Richard somehow convinced them that we were raising an existing patio,鈥� Delmer laughs.
Business really took off after a group of Texas expatriates on Music Row discovered this little place making homemade tortillas and hawking the taste of home.
鈥淪teve Earle discovered us before we even had a sign, and he brought the music scene in. He鈥檚 the only person we ever gave credit to,鈥� remembers Delmer. 鈥淓very month he would send a bill to MCA Records, and we crossed our fingers they were going to keep paying us.鈥�
Delmer and Patton, who also opened Granite Falls down the street on Broadway, in a building that has since been razed, ended up selling SATCO to current owners Hunter Atkins, BA鈥�71, and Sandy Haury, BA鈥�72.
Robert Wilder has been the restaurant鈥檚 supervisor since the ownership change. He credits SATCO鈥檚 longevity to continuity, but the new sheriffs in town had some work to do. Joking about its San Antonio origins, Wilder says it was a bit of the Wild West when they took it over. 鈥淟et鈥檚 just say the (Metro) Beer Board told us we needed to clean up some things, or else.鈥�
With almost 30 years under his belt, Wilder sees a lot of familiar faces who return year after year for the fall reunions, watching them as they look around and realize nothing has changed鈥攏ot the layout, not the metal Mexican beer tables, and not the cramped bank of ordering pads.
鈥淣obody in town was doing that kind of ordering,鈥� says Wilder of the remarkably efficient system where customers check off what they want and then hand the order to the cashier.
鈥淓verything has changed around us, but we鈥檙e still here,鈥� Wilder adds, pointing to where O鈥機harley鈥檚 and Burger King used to be. And yes, he remembers Betty, the 鈥淏urger King Lady,鈥� well.
鈥淪he had the most thankless job in the world policing their parking lot, but she really was a sweet lady.鈥�
As Nashville churns and grows, there鈥檚 always fear that SATCO will go the way of other icons like Mack鈥檚 Country Kitchen and Vandyland. Thankfully, for the legions of fans who crave the little fajitas, the salsa bar, and buckets of ice-cold beer to wash down the legendary queso dip, SATCO has a lease in place that should keep it there for at least 15 more years.
Jim Myers is a Nashville food and drink writer and former food columnist for The Tennessean newspaper.