Gerald Bevelhymer opened the place in 1958, and it's still run by the same family. In 2018, it was one of the spots Westword featured in a slideshow of the ten oldest Mexican restaurants in town. All of those eateries are still open — but that will soon change.
On December 1, Taco House announced that it will close by the end of the month:
Sixty-six years is a long time for a business to operate, particularly a family business. It is with mixed emotions that we will be closing our original Taco House location at 581 South Federal Blvd in Denver.
Taco House was established at our original location in February 1958. Our grandfather's vision was to operate an affordable Mexican food restaurant, offering one of the first carry-out options in Denver. In the 1970's, Taco House boasted eleven locations in the metro area. Longtime customers will remember our renowned All You Can Eat Special, and although the name was Taco House, our cheese enchiladas and enchilada sauce became our signature offerings.
Taco House has been a place for families and friends to gather for birthdays, following school sporting events, and in remembrance of loved ones. Or, maybe just a quick, hot affordable meal.....simply satisfying. Taco House became like a "home" to countless customers & employees as we established relationships and touched lives in small, but meaningful ways.
The advent of COVID, steadily increasing costs including food, paper products, wages, insurance and taxes have forced us to raise prices to levels that are increasingly not affordable for many of our customers. Try as we might, we have not found a satisfying solution to the challenges we face.
We give a heartfelt thanks to those of you who have supported us for these many years. As we wind down operations at our Denver location, please call in advance to ensure that we are open. We intend to try to continue to operate through December 31, 2024, if conditions allow.
The message also noted that the location at 1335 Wadsworth Boulevard in Lakewood will remain open "for the foreseeable future."
A third Taco House in Littleton, which is under separate ownership, also posted on social media about the news: "Rumors are true…The Federal store is the flagship store. Has been for over sixty years. We share in the same struggles as inflation has gutted profit, as well as the average family having to cut back. We’re all in the same boat and why I always insist that we support local small businesses. We have a meeting at the end of the month to figure everything out...but I do believe we will continue to be serving our customers. Since COVID, restaurants continue to shutter. We hope to not be one. As always, support small and stay safe."
The Taco House news comes after a string of closures in October and November, and the upcoming last day for another longtime family-run Mexican favorite, Señor Burritos, which is shuttering its Baker location after 34 years on December 23. Rising costs were one of the major factors in that decision, according to Vicente Baylon, whose grandparents founded the restaurant. "It's cheaper to operate in Westminster," where the family will be opening another location soon, he told Westword last month.
The bottom line: Support your favorite restaurants if you can, while you can. COVID may be a distant memory for some, but the hospitality industry is still struggling.
