Bankers were skeptical. Some customers were offended.
But that hasn't curbed the success of Draper's Guadalahonky, a restaurant that features its own "honky" versions of many Mexican dishes and holiday celebrations.Patrons enjoy special occasions such as Cinco de Mayo fiesta, Mexican Saint Patrick's Day Celebration, Easter Week and order such delicacies as "pollo de honky," "honky sandwiches," "pescado de gato" and "soupas."
"We're making up traditions that have never existed before," said Jeff Summerhays, 35, one of the business' owners.
Jeff and Alan Summerhays and Ruel Gunnell have traveled a dusty and bumpy road to open Guadalahonky.
The zany and quaint restaurant located off the I-15 in Draper's "Las Crusadas" (the Draper crossroad), is managed by three "gringos," who have brought excitement and laughter to their customers and employees with a mix of one-liners and clever food recipes that combine American and Mexican flavor.
Alan, Jeff and Ruel call themselves the "three amigos," a culinary trio whose business has moved to the top of Mexican cuisine restaurants in the Salt Lake Valley.
Originally, the restaurant was to be named "Las Crusadas," but Jeff and Alan didn't like it and suggested "Guadalahonky."
"I felt we should name it something catchy," Jeff said. "Something funny."
Jeff said he heard the name 20 years ago on the Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, when a comedian doing a monologue jokingly said he would open a Mexican restaurant and hire a black chef.
The restaurant's name has given the "three amigos" their share of public response. They remember how California tourists stopped by one day to protest the name because they thought it was offensive and discriminatory against whites.
"They drove by and told us they thought it was a bunch of baloney," he said. "We didn't know what to do. We just offered them some tortillas and salsa."
Another client told them he thought the restaurant's name didn't have much integrity. "We told him our name is kind of our trademark."
Alan also remembers their bank didn't want to lend them the money to open the restaurant because they disliked the name "Guadalahonky."
"That's why we called `Las Crusadas at Guadalahonky' until they gave us the money, then we dropped the first name. The name eventually grew on them," Alan said.
The happy trio can be found near 136 E. 12300 South on any given day hauling their white burros onto the premises to attract customers.
Or encouraging their Mexican dishwasher, Honorato Cisneros, to sing "Feliz Cumpleanos" (happy birthday) to their customers like famous opera star Placido Domingo.
"That loosens them up," Alan said.
They officially opened Guadalahonky on Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. 7, 1988, but the owners say there's no significance to their timing. "We felt this location was good because everything is coming out south now," Jeff added.