Chuy’s
From Dairy King to Mexican food empire
When Jesus “Chuy” and Marylou Uranga bought a small drive-in in the sleepy West Texas town of Van Horn in 1959, the odds were not in their favor. Not only was it a time when Hispanic business owners were rare, but it was a business that had failed under three previous owners.
Despite the obstacles, that spot — Dairy King — became known as one of the best hamburger joints in town, and eventually, it would become the nationally known Chuy’s Mexican Restaurant.
FIT FOR A KING — OR COACH The restaurant’s fare earned it a place on former NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden’s Haul of Fame list.
More than three decades ago, former Oakland Raiders coach John Madden walked away from the sidelines and into the broadcast booth.
The signing of the NFL’s winningest coach by CBS raised eyebrows not because of Madden’s lack of qualifications but his pronounced fear of flying. The 300-pound redhead bought a 40-foot horse trailer, modified it to his specifications, hired a driver and set out from his San Francisco Bay-area home each week.
Madden loved scenic views, quaint stops and hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop restaurants.
On a Monday night back in 1987, he made a stop at Chuy’s to watch the Monday night football game on television. “By the grace of God, John Madden visited our restaurant,” begins the story on the back of the laminated plastic menu.
In 1993, the celebrity featured the restaurant on his “All Madden Show” and officially inducted Chuy’s into the All Madden Haul of Fame.
Today the dining room is decorated with footballs, autographs, photos, posters and other memorabilia surrounding a thronelike canvas director’s chair which is always reserved for the big man when he arrives. There’s even a huge mural of Jesus smiling down on Madden’s tour bus. Madden has continued to visit the restaurant every year since then to enjoy his favorite plate on the menu: “Chicken Picado” (No. 21).
