Restaurant moves to bigger site

The Loretta's Burrito Hut restaurant recently moved from a tiny trailer to another site that's bigger, is open longer, offers more dining options and prompted the hiring of more employees.

Just before Christmas, owner Loretta Muller opened at the former Rubee's Diner building at 605 W. Route 66 Blvd. after being tucked in a street corner at 624 S. Third St. for five years. The Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce will commemorate the move with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Muller said she'd been looking for a brick-and-mortar location for a while. She noticed the former Rubee's site being renovated during the summer and persuaded the owner to give her a chance with a lease.

She said business has been "pretty good" since opening at the new site.

"I can't complain," she added.

Muller said the move allowed her to offer an "upgraded" menu of her usual Mexican and American dishes, including street tacos, and serving breakfast all day.

Instead of being open for just breakfast and lunch six days a week, Loretta's Burrito Hut now is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The longer hours and expanded menu have prompted her to hire six employees, she said.

Muller has come a long way since selling just burritos to blue-collar workers 15 years ago. She now says she soon will be training relatives and/or employees to run the restaurant when she needs to take a day off.