Tag: Pancho’s

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Adios to the Pancho’s Man?

CREDIT: Pancho's/Tiwtter

Pancho’s/Tiwtter

Pancho’s Cheese Dips dropped some serious stuff on Twitter Thursday with one phrase, “get ready to meet the new Pancho.”

The smiling, mustachioed, and sombrero-ed Pancho has graced the lid of the famous cheese dip for years. The figure is an easily recognizable Memphis icon.

Pancho’s/Twitter

“Pancho Man” was created by the restaurant’s founder, according to a Flyer cover story covering all aspect of cheese dip and our city’s love affair with it.

Justin Fox Burks

Clemmie and Morris Berger opened the first Pancho’s Mexican restaurant in 1956 in West Memphis. Brenda O’Brien, Morris Berger’s daughter, says her father was also the creator of “Pancho Man.” O’Brien says she was with him when he made the first drawing. “Daddy wanted to get a mascot for the restaurant. Daddy could draw really well.”

Pancho’s tweeted the change at around 2 p.m. But, with only five likes on the post so far, it hasn’t made much noise yet. The tweet was unclear as to just when we’ll meet the new Pancho Man only to say, “he’s almost here.”
 

Adios to the Pancho’s Man?

Categories
News The Fly-By

Fly on the Wall 1429

Cheese Crime
There needs to be an addendum to the old saying “Don’t cry over spilled milk.” Don’t stab people over spilled cheese dip, especially if it’s not Pancho’s. Seriously people, don’t do that.

An unidentified 35-year-old Memphis woman was rushed into surgery at Methodist hospital Sunday morning after she wrecked the car she was driving to the emergency room. She’d been stabbed by another woman, Yolanda Tucker, who, according to a police report, became unreasonably upset after the victim spilled a container of Rotel. The two women were sharing the dip with a man, Michael Weston, who loaned Tucker his pocket knife. Both Tucker and Weston were taken into custody.

Royal Reprieve
Memphis wrestler Jerry Lawler’s WWE suspension has been lifted. That means the 66-year-old Hall-of-Famer should be able to reclaim his throne now that charges of domestic assault have been dismissed. Lawler and his 27-year-old fiancée, Lauryn McBride, were both taken into custody early Friday morning following kicking, scratching, and candle-throwing at Lawler’s East Memphis residence. Police were unable to determine who was the aggressor.

Neverending Elvis
It’s been a big week for Memphis’ most famous presumably deceased celebrity. First, a New York Daily News report quoted Elvis’ step-brother, David Stanley, claiming that Presley’s overdose was intentional. Stanley later took to social media, claiming he had been misrepresented and had no certain knowledge of Elvis’ intentions. Also, reports continue to circulate claiming that Elvis is alive and working as a ponytailed groundskeeper at Graceland. According to various media sources, he sent a secret “I’m alive” message by scratching his face.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Guess Where I’m Eating Contest 45


Is it lunchtime yet?

The first person to correctly ID the dish and where I’m eating wins a fabulous prize.

To enter, submit your answer to me via email at ellis@memphisflyer.com.

The answer to GWIE contest 44 is the cheese dip at Pancho’s, and the winner is … Tim Riley!

Categories
Special Sections

Pancho’s in the 1950s

CREDIT: PHOTO BY JERRY DAWS

Panchos on South Bellevue

  • PHOTO BY JERRY DAWS
  • Pancho’s on South Bellevue

My pal Bonnie Kourvelas recently sent me two wonderful images (originally Kodachrome color slides taken by her parents, Jerry and Edna Daws) showing the exterior and interior of the old Pancho’s Mexican Restaurant that was located on South Bellevue. That’s the Daws family in the pictures, but don’t ask me to identify all of them. It was a private affair, and I wasn’t invited.

To tell you the truth (as I am prone to do, from time to time, mainly when I am drunk), I wasn’t familiar with this location. I knew Panchos’ had (and still has) a restaurant on the outskirts of West Memphis, and I knew there was also a branch at Union and McLean, and later at Poplar and White Station.

But sure enough, from about 1959 until about 1972 (those dates are guesses, based on city directory listings, which are not complete, for some reason), Pancho’s was located at 1670 South Bellevue, just across the street from the entrance to Forest Hill Cemetery. That building is gone now, so I’m glad to see these photos. I especially like the wonderful mural, and the terrific neon sign. And I’d certainly like to have some of those fine cars out front. And below is a shot of the interior. It’s rather dark, and I certainly don’t know WHAT the photographer was aiming at, but you can get a sense of the “authentic” Mexican clutter inside.