Felix Stehling

'Felix Martinez (April 2, 1927 – December 10, 2012) was an American businessman and restaurateur. Stehling and his brother, Mike Stehling, co-founded Taco Cabana, fast food restaurant chain specializing in Tex-Mex cuisine, in 1978.[1] Stehling is also credited as the inventor of the beanburger, a now common dish in the San Antonio area, consisting of refried beans, Fritos and Cheez Whiz.[1][2]

Stehling's parents settled Stehling was born in Fredericksburg, Texas, the second oldest of his family's eleven children.[1] He graduated from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.[1]

Stehling initially worked in for an insurance company, but left that insurance industry after just two years.[1] He then owned and operated series of restaurants and nightclubs in San Antonio, including the Crystal Pistol and the Bombay Bicycle Club.[1] In 1952, signed a three-year lease to rent a small, shack-like restaurant on Austin Highway from Frank Sills, the owner of the first Sills' Snack Shack.[1] It was here that Stehling invented and first offered the beanburger, made from refried beans, Fritos and Cheez Whiz.[1] Frank Sills later sold Stehling's beanburger creation at his own restaurants once Stehling's lease on the building expired.[1]

In 1978, Stehling and his brother, Mike, opened the first Taco Cabana in San Antonio at the intersection of Hildebrand and San Pedro streets at the site of a former Dairy Queen, dubbing the restaurant "the original Mexican patio café"[1] Felix Stehling's wife, Billie Jo Stehling, created the décor and overall interior look for the restaurant chain.[3] Mike Stehling later left the company.

Felix Stehling decided to take Taco Cabana public when the chain reached fifty stores, including locations in Austin and Houston.[1] However, in 1994 Taco Cabana's board of directors ousted Stehling from the company.[1][2] Taco Cabana, which is currently owned by the Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc, now has 162 locations, as of December 2012, spread throughout Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Stehling was once a partial owner of the San Antonio Spurs.[1] He founded a charity which provided funding for the Special Olympics of Texas, his alma mater, St. Mary's University, and other charitable groups.[1] Outside of Texas, Stehling held real estate investments in Colorado.[1]

Felix Stehling, who suffered from dementia during his later years, died on December 10, 2012, at the age of 87.[1] His wife, Billie Jo Stehling, whom he had married in 1960, died on May 6, 2011, at the age of 86.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Morton, Neil (2012-12-11). "Stehling, Taco Cabana founder, dies at 16". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
  2. 1 2 "Felix Stehling, Taco Cabana founder, dies at 87". KENS. 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
  3. 1 2 Ayala, Elaine (2011-05-09). "Stehling created Taco Cabana décor". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
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