Today we’d like to introduce you to Kurt Eller
Hi Kurt, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m from Austin, Tx and managed/owned different concepts there (and other cities in Texas during the late 80’s and 90’s during and after college). My last venture in 1999 was a flop before it even got started and I left the restaurant industry entirely. From there, I entered into the furniture business running supply chains with a great company out of Austin called FOUR HANDS (not to be confused with Four Hands Beer here). I ended up doing a lot of travel overseas to mainly China and India, but also did a lot of traveling and sourcing all over Asia. Getting to experience and enjoy the culinary scenes around the world during this time had a profound influence on Taco Buddha as a concept.
My girlfriend at the time in Austin accepted a job in STL, and I wanted to raise my daughter in a place with better circumstances than what she was in in Austin. I decided to move to STL in 2005 and remained in the furniture business. We ended up breaking up but my daughter and I remained in STL. We both still really resonate with STL to this day.
After being in the furniture business for almost 10 years in STL, I got crazy and felt I should start a restaurant concept called Taco Buddha that had been brewing in my mind for years. I conceived a simple fast-casual Taco concept, similar to Torchy’s Tacos and Velvet Taco, but with more global influences while incorporating elements of a Southwest Kitchen that would be found in New Mexico with green and red chiles.
I started catering in 2014, and after buying a home a block away from our current UCity location, I couldn’t help but commit to the current UCity location with reckless abandon.
Well, with luck, good people and my experience in restaurants and business as a whole, Taco Buddha gained traction as a brand. It started small with just a few community-style tables, and it was clear we needed to upgrade. We built out the patio with more space, and things really got hopping. In 2022 I purchased the Kirkwood location, and after a little over a year and a hellacious build-out, Kirkwood opened in June of 2023. Business continues to show that the Taco Buddha brand has serious growth potential. We are now committed to a 3rd location closer to the City of STL. Stay tuned for that!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road but somehow we prevailed.
Much of 2018 was a huge learning curve with staff quality issues that had me almost throwing in the towel a few times.
We had an office fire on 1/4/19 that shut us down for 3.5 months but that actually seemed to clean the slate and brought revitalization (including my spirit) and staff that actually cared.
Covid a little over a year later brought all the challenges that all restaurants experienced. The silver lining was it forced us to rethink how we operate. We refined our curbside pickup operation and introduced contactless ordering down the road, both of which have been a huge boon to our business to this day.
Opening in Kirkwood was not easy as we were trying to replicate what we had built in UCity, but it provided us with necessary learning opportunities to lock down our operations and set us up for future growth.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Taco Buddha?
My creative spirit and business skillset benefit from cooperation between my left and right brain.
Considerable endeavors (failures included) and education in business have helped me structure Taco Buddha with at least the possibility of success and profitability. (Unlike many who get into the restaurant business and never should.) While I know finance and can glean the path of a business by looking at financials, I have been lucky to realize that it all boils down to your people and taking care of them with true authenticity.
While I refrain from calling myself a chef, in the beginning of my restaurant career, I was trained in the kitchen/BOH by some awesome chefs and cooks. This has given me insight into culinary basics, menu execution and how a top quality kitchen should be run. I am also a foodie and love to create both at home and at work. Lately, much of my work creation has been taken over by my great leaders in the kitchen, but I still know what is good and should be served to our customers.
My overall appreciation for design and experience in the furniture business has made me realize that creative, functional, not in-your-face but classic design really moves me. I will continue to use my design skill-set in the openings of future Taco Buddhas.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My Dad who is no longer with us but who lived all over, and traveled the world and took me most of the time.
My lovely mother who is still with us, but who kicked me out of the house at 16 which made me go live with my Dad who resided in Madras/now Chennai, India. (She was right in kicking me out and is truly a lovely woman and friend now.)
My sister in San Antonio who exemplifies the “good life” and values of family and travel.
All the crazy managers who developed me throughout the years in the restaurant business.
The principals at FOUR HANDS in Austin who believed in me enough to allow me to run multi-million dollar supply chains and travel all over Asia.
Tom Phillips, owner of now closed Weekends Only who taught me true development and trust of direct reports, all with humility.
The three amigos (Liam, Brandon, Michael) that I sit with now have been so instrumental in the growth and success of Taco Buddha.
Ben Hillman, my partner and thought-partner of Taco Buddha and who shares my belief in running a “people first” business.
My lovely wife Mary who puts up with my ups and downs and who grounds me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tacobuddha.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/tacobuddha
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/tacobuddha
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/taco-buddha-university-city and https://www.yelp.com/biz/taco-buddha-kirkwood-2
