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Taco Nation: Learning the business one taco at a time |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 05 July 2007 |
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 At Taco Nation, tacos rule Amelia Mouton’s world. The 25-year-old runs the family taco business with the help of a friend, Liz Gaylor.
“My father and uncle bought the naming rights from a friend in Houston and moved it here to open it as a business venture for the youngest nieces and nephews in our family,” Mouton said.
Andre Mouton and Stephen Mouton were two of the three original owners of The Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Fort Collins. Taco Nation is their way of passing down their restaurant experiences and lessons to their kids.
“They gave me the opportunity to see what it’s like to run a business and I drug Liz along for the ride,” Mouton said.
She and Gaylor have been running the taco restaurant since January.
Mouton, a vegetarian who has never had meat in her life, always dreamed of owning a vegetarian restaurant. Though Taco Nation offers beef, chicken and fish tacos, it also has numerous vegetarian tacos as well— all for $2.
“We use as much organic as we can get our hands on,” Gaylor said. “All our veggies, tofu, beans and rice are organic and our eggs are cage-free.”
Even the forks are made from potatoes and the cups from corn.
“We just want this to be a place that’s happy and fun, sustainable and cheap and a good place to work,” Mouton said.
They refuse to accept tips, because they want to make sure to pay employees well.
“As my dad would say, ‘We don’t need no stinkin’ coins!’” she said.
In addition to the little shop at 201-B Laurel St., Taco Nation also has a taco cart. Although it’s hard to keep the cart staffed at times, Mouton said she hopes to keep it running.
The cart can usually be found at the Oak Street Plaza from around 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday and late night on the weekends.
“I think we have put our heart, souls and happiness into this place,” Mouton said. “So many people just come in and groove off our vibe.”
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VITAL STATS
Name: Amelia Mouton
Company: Taco Nation, 201-B Laurel St., taconation.com
Title: General Manager
How long have you worked there?: 9 months
———
IN HER WORDS
What is it about this job that makes it challenging?
Organization. I think I grew up watching Sesame Street as opposed to Mr. Rogers.
What makes you get out of bed in the morning?
The excitement of a new day.
What impresses you?
A good taste in music.
How do young/new employees get ahead?
By being creative, innovative, progressive, but most importantly, not taking life too seriously.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you do?
Break out the ole bedazzler and really make Earth a shiny happy place
What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done while at work?
Let’s just say I have a big mouth.
Smartest?
Laughing all of the time.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever done to make money?
Wouldn’t you like to know! There are things I did in high school that I don’t know if I should say. I licked my nipple for $20 bucks.
Any interesting anecdotes?
Crazy stuff happens every day! Every day is a learning day here. Sometimes the sink overflows with water, sometimes boys get drunk and beat up the guys at the taco cart and sometimes we forget to turn on the hood and it gets really hot. We were sweating and couldn’t figure out why.
What’s the one thing you wish you could do on the job that you can’t right now?
Get paid. ( I work for free. Am I crazy?...ummm...yes.)
What do you do during your breaks?
BREAKS? Ha, I wish.
Name one thing in your life that really prepared you for your job.
A love of food.
What’s the biggest payoff in your job?
I am learning hands-on how to run a business.
Are you the boss? Do you think you should be?
Yes.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
Cook, spend time with my husband and do bikram yoga.
Family?
More than you could imagine. I have lots of family. I come from big family. I don’t have any kids, just a husband who is like a child. No pets.
Favorite TV shows?
“LOST” and “Top Chef”.
Movies?
“Peter Pan” and “Sicko”.
Books?
“Brave New World”.
What Web sites do you have bookmarked?
Post secret and the Fort Collins movie page.
Where do you play?
Outdoors
Go out to eat?
Kelsi’s house.
Favorite spot?
Breintenbush Hot Springs, Oregon.
————
HEY!
Do you know of someone with a cool or unusual job? Contact reporter Erin Frustaci at
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