Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007

Littleton opens Taco Den in Meriden

by Sara Peterson-Davis

After golfing at Village Greens, Lynn Littleton always wanted to eat tacos on his way home, but without a Mexican restaurant in Jefferson County, he had to wait until Topeka.

Photo by Sara Peterson-Davis

Lynn Littleton, left, along with his manager, Sheila Eklund.

Littleton solved the problem about
six weeks ago when he opened Taco Den in Meriden’s Countryside Square shopping center.

“I went to an auction and bought
some stuff and put two and two together,” said Littleton, who
bought the booths and mirrors
from the former Valentino’s
restaurant in Topeka. “Here it is.”

The small restaurant tucked in the corner of the shopping center has seating for as many as 25 customers and a menu to accommodate
both eat-in and carry-out orders.

The Taco Den features daily specials,
as well as many Mexican favorites such as sanchos, enchiladas, burritos, tamales, taco burgers, guacamole, con queso, beans and rice.

“We have a big city taste with small town service,” said Littleton, a Valley Falls native who formerly ran a nightclub in Topeka.

With 8,000 cars a day going past the Taco Den’s door, Littleton knows there are plenty of customers out there for a restaurant like the Taco Den.

Littleton hired Sheila Eklund to manage the restaurant. Eklund has 30 years experience in the restaurant business. She was a kitchen manager, hostess and cashier at Hanover Pancake House in Topeka.

Managing the Taco Den is quite a shift for Eklund.

“It’s so much simpler,” Eklund said. “The kitchen is about a fourth of the size.”

When he decided to open the Taco Den, Littleton turned to Taco Al, the owner of Topeka’s Taco Casa restaurants for advice.

“I sat down with him for a couple of hours and he told me some things I really needed to know,” Littleton said.

Business, especially the lunch crowd, is growing steadily at the Taco Den. Littleton and Eklund would like to see the evening traffic pick up. Littleton and Eklund have hired two high school students to work during the evening hours.

The Taco Den is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Taco Den also takes call-in orders at 207-6400.

“People keep coming back and we’re seeing a lot of regulars,” Littleton said.

“But we see a lot of new faces too,” Eklund added.

Littleton plans to celebrate the restaurant’s grand opening this Friday and Saturday. All day Friday, the Taco Den will feature a 99-cent taco special. On Saturday, Littleton will host a grand opening barbeque beginning at 3 p.m. The barbeque dinner, made by award-winning Fat Guys’ BBQ, will feature a beef, pork or brisket sandwich, beans and coleslaw for $5.

So now that he’s brought Mexican food to within a few miles from his favorite links, how is Littleton’s golf game?

“It’s really cutting in to it,” he said. “All my friends are beating me, and I can’t stand that.”