It\u2019s a tough line between mom and boss.
\nCindy Mclarty, co-owner of Taco Surf along with her husband Sam, found that out employing their offspring at their family restaurant, celebrating its 25th anniversary in Pacific Beach this year on March 17.
\nBut it\u2019s all been worth it, the couple said. And their children may someday inherit the business.
\n“We\u2019ve outlived everybody within visual range now,” said Sam of his eatery at 4657 Mission Blvd. across the street from Duck Dive (formerly Hennessey\u2019s).
\n“More than visual range,” Cindy chimed in, adding, “I can\u2019t think of anything (else) that\u2019s still here.”
\nAsked the secret of their longevity, the Mclartys were quick to reply.
\n“Our involvement in the community, and the fact that we take a real big interest in families that come in,” responded Cindy. “We watch little kids grow and they come in with their kids now. It\u2019s just a feel. It\u2019s a vibe. It\u2019s the surf vibe of the area. It\u2019s s definitely something we never planned on. But we have cultivated it.”
\nHer spouse concurred.
\n“It\u2019s the ocean,” agreed Sam, a lifetime surfer who has nearly 200 surfboards in his collection at work and home. “Surfing is iconic, soulful, San Diego soul.”
\nSurfing is not only part of their restaurant\u2019s name; it\u2019s even become an advertising vehicle.
\n“I always encourage Sam to go out surfing,” said Cindy adding, “I call it surfetising. “People will come in here and say, \u2018Hey, I saw Sam out in the lineup.\u2019”
\nBest of all, added Cindy, “It works.”
\nThe pair have something else in common: Restaurants factor heavily into both their family\u2019s backgrounds.
\n“My mother and father met in a restaurant,” said Cindy. “My mother-in-law and father-in-law met in a restaurant. Sam and I met in a restaurant. And my daughter, and her husband, met in a restaurant.”
\nCindy and Sam met in a Chula Vista restaurant 35 years ago. He was assistant manager. She was the first employee he\u2019d ever interviewed for a job.
\nFast forward to 2015, and they\u2019re still working together and counting their blessings.
\nAsked the reason for their success, Sam replied, “Our taste has been consistent for 25 years. We\u2019ve added things. But we\u2019ve really tried to maintain the basic taste.”
\nSam added that “getting people back on a regular basis” is also key.
\n“We try to keep our prices as low as possible,” said Cindy. “You can come in here and pay $3.50 and be full.”
\nComparing Taco Surf\u2019s menu 25 years ago and today, it\u2019s surprising how little things have changed. Their original menu was smaller, almost postcard-sized, and simpler. A lot has been added, noted Cindy, in terms of offerings \u2014 more fish items, soups, salads, bowls, plus Cindy\u2019s patented build-your-own burrito.
\nTalking about what\u2019s been fun about Taco Surf, Cindy said they sometimes have celebrities, like NFL Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 star Troy Palamalu, come in.
\nBut personally, Cindy said she likes making connections with customers the best.
\n“You really get to know them, and they know all about you and what\u2019s going on in your family,” she said.
\nThough times \u2014 and the landscape \u2014 of PB have changed greatly over the last 25 years, Cindy noted those changes have been “pretty positive.”
\n“I think this town\u2019s really going in a good direction,” she said adding, “There are really good people here. They take care of their town. The tourists love it.”
\nThe Mclartys\u2019 three children are all working elsewhere now. One son is a chef over at The Fishery on Cass Street. Cindy said they\u2019ve expressed interest in one day taking over the business, adding that perhaps might be in the family\u2019s future.
\nIn the meantime, Sam noted that “We\u2019ve been working together for 25 years, and have been married almost 35. We still love each other.”
\n“We\u2019ve raised three kids,” added Cindy.
\n“We\u2019re working on our second grandchild,” pointed out Sam.
\nStop in March 17 and help the Mclartys celebrate their 25th anniversary in PB. As usual, Irish-style corned beef will be on the menu that day. Taco Surf
\nBirthday: On March 17 the iconic eatery turns 25 Where: 4657 Mission Blvd.
\nContact: (858) 272-3877 www.tacosurftacoshop.com
\nThe boards: There are hundreds of surfboards on display at the restaurant.
\nHonors: Taco Surf\u2019s breakfast burrito named in the top 10 at DiscoverSD.com; USA Today\u2019s Travel section recognized Taco Surf as the place to go for burritos in PB; The Daily Meal named Taco Surf\u2019s carne asada burrito one of the best in the U.S.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s a tough line between mom and boss. Cindy Mclarty, co-owner of Taco Surf along with her husband Sam, found that out employing their offspring at their family restaurant, celebrating its 25th anniversary in Pacific Beach this year on March 17. But it\u2019s all been worth it, the couple said. And their children may someday […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":259711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11559","_seopress_titles_title":"Taco Surf celebrates 25 years in Pacific Beach this month","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11559,11551],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-259710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beach-bay-press","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}