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8 -- May 7, 2015
news letter journal CO@@RN
news@newslj.com
Denice Pisciotti
NLJ Reporter
*2099 ,,d,,..
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Wedding and Formal Gowns, Tuxedos,
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Monday-Friday 10 a.rn. - 6 p.m.
Extended Hours Thursday - 8 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Sadly, last May the com-
munity lost an icon when Taco
John's closed.'
About a year after that door
closed, the new owners of
the building hope Crossroads
Cantina will fill the void. Susie
and Rick Pillen hope they will
have everything set to be able
to start serving customers in
the old Taco John's building on
Main Street on June 1.
The couple said they chose
their business name to help
customers identify with it
as both an American and a
Mexican restaurant. Strangely,
the fact that the building sits
at the only street crossing in
town with a traffic signal did
not factor into the choice of
a name, explained Susie, but
she admitted that it works out
pretty well.
The final menu for break-
fast, lunch and dinner is still
in the process of being com-
pleted, but she did confess
many of the items from the
Dairy Barn-- hamburgers,
chicken sandwiches and other
customer favorites-- will be
brought to the new restaurant,
along with Mexican items
such as tacos, burritos and
fajitas.
There are still a few things
to figure out before the doors
open, Pillen said. She indicated
that the restaurant's hours of
operation still haven't been set,
and a liquor license has been
applied for, but the business
owners still have not received
Denice Pisciotti/NLJ
Tabitha, Susie, Rick and Nate Pillen pose in front of the new salad bar at Crossroads Cantina,
their new adventure in the old Taco John's building on Main Street.
The Pillen's knew the
building would always be
associated with Taco John's
and the Crawford name, and
the former owners expressed
the wish that the couple would
carry on some of the tradition
Crawford's had begun. As a
result, before a final decision
was made concerning what
business would be going into
the building, both Beth and
Dick talked with Rick and
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Donald Bud Treloar fsz Colleen Coke Hicks i the final word as to whether
April 5, 1930-December 23, 2014 September 8, 1937-April 10, 2015 i iili they have been approved or if a
i ili license is even available.
I want to focus on the Mexican, a lot of it anyway,
because it is not available locally. We are going to
continue that tradition that Beth and Dick set up.
So we are going to try to stay with the Mexican
theme, with an American flare to it"
in ce[e[ atiW t/ ei lives The menu, however, is
coming together nicely.
Sunday, May 17, 2015 at 2:30p.m.
Custer VFW Post 3442
721 Mt. Rushmore Rd.
Custer,
MARI(£TIHG
"I want to focus on the
Mexican, a lot of it anyway,
because it is not available
locally. We are going to con-
tinue that tradition that Beth
and Dick set up. So we are
going to try to stay with the
Mexican theme, with an
American flare to it," Pillen
professed.
The previous owners, Dick
and Beth Crawford, have con-
fidence the local couple will
be able to give the public what
they want in a restaurant, con-
sidering they have been oper-
ating another eatery, the Dairy
Barn, since August of 2012.
"Rick and Susan Pillen
were the type of people that we
were looking for to take over
our business• We knew when
we closed that it would be a
hard challenge for someone
to meet what Taco John's
was enforcing. We talked to
several people out-of-town
and in town, and these two
seemed fit for what Beth and
I were looking for," Dick told
the News Letter Journal in a
telephone interview.
-- Susie Pillen
Owner, Crossroads Cantina
Susie extdiisiy~ely, and Dick
said he was impressed beyond
words at how congenial the
Pillen's have been, even asking
permission to do things to the
building before diving into any
changes.
"Beth and I are just thrilled
to death that these two are the
ones that stepped forward and
took the challenge and keep
going. We wish them all the
luck in the world! We feel
good to give this young couple
a start," Dick beamed.
Both of the Crawford's feel
fortunate to have the Pillens
running a business in the old
Taco John's building, and
Dick is especially looking
forward to going through the
drive through to pick up food
and not have to get out of his
car.
While Susie and Rick
have gone out of their way to
respect the work done at the
establishment by their prede-
cesgors, there are going to be
changes. For several months,
family and friends have been
assisting them as they get the
place ready to open for busi-
ness, and the benches have
been reupholstered and rear-
ranged. More tables have also
been added in the main dining
tl
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room.
A salad bar has been
installed, and Pillen's plan to
offer steak and rib nights. That
prompted one of the biggest
changes in the building, as new
electrical wiring and a fire safe
wall have to be built before
the new 18-foot hood can be
installed. New flooring was put
down in the kitchen, making
the place sparkle and shine.
Rick has been assisting
Susie in getting things ready
at the new business, but he
will continue operating Minute
Man Lube Center on South
Summit Avenue. He told the
NLJ he was happy they were
able to use local contractors
for the renovations that were
done inside the old building.
The couple said it has been
a lot of work-- a lot more than
anticipated-- and because the
restaurant had actually closed
.for some time, all new health
inspection regulations had to
be met. Crawford recognized
the turmoil this has caused
his buyers, but said they have
handled it with little despair.
"We are having to upgrade
so much to meet these new
codes because there are new
codes for fire, and new codes
for health and safety, and we
are having to upgrade the
building to meet all of them,"
Susie described. "You start
fresh. Even with the packet for
submission, you have to start
as if you were a brand new
building, brand new business."
The process has been
longl Initially, they hoped
to open in March, but it has
been one thing after another
that needs to be redone, and
that has delayed the opening.
Last month, the owners of the
Crossroads Cantina were even
told they needed to have a
walkway with railings in the
ceiling to be able to clean
the special intake and outtake
vents. The couple hopes an end
to all the mandated changes
will come soon, and Weston
County will be able to enjoy
another eating experience by
the first of June.
The duo thought of putting
another franchise in the
building, but said that after
realizing the cost involved they
determined it would not be
wort.h it.
"The majority (of fran-
chises) take about 10 percent
off of your gross. I can't see
giving $100,000 to a franchise
because that is coming out of
the community. That's wages,
upgrades to the building, that's
donations to organizations, so
I am hoping the community
will support us in not having
a franchise sign because I just
want to give that back to the
community," Susie reasoned.
She wants the food and
service at the restaurant to be
excellent right from the start,
but acknowledges the reality
of the difficulties the staff will
face in learning a new job
in a new place. Susie hopes
the community will be under-
standing of this, and be tol-
erant with them as they get the
hang of things.
"Everybody has :t0 i be :
patient because we :will'lSU
adding on and changing.
Remember you have 16 people
training, and not just one new
person," cautioned Susie, who
said she and Rick want to be
front and center when they
are open for business-- out
greeting the customers and
hearing the constructive criti-
cism to learn how they can do
things better.
Whether that is where Susie
will get to be at the beginning
will dePend on how quickly
the kitchen staff learns their
new tasks, and she emphasized
putting lhe needs of the cus-
tomer first.
Among those first cus-
tomers will 'no doubt be the
former owners, and they are
excited to see how Pillens
venture works out.
"I think they are going to
have such a variety that they
are going to touch everyone in
Newcastle in some way, shape
or form. To be honest with
you, we had a great customer
following but we all don't like
the same thing. They are going
to be more diversified, not just
a hamburger, not a hot dog, not
a taco, but a number of things.
We are really looking forward
to it," Dick stated.
living beside you works for you.
"'Just say when.., whenever you're ready. "'
Clyde Bayne
360 West Main - Box 896
Newcastle, WY 82701
307-746-4471
FARM BUREA!! F!NAN( !A!e SERVICES
Insurance • Investments
from page 1 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................
going down on the deck, at which point
Hoover is accused of using the lid from a
small barbecue grill to strike Hillhouse.
The local police chief said that Hillhouse
absorbed at least one blow to the head, but
was able to extricate himself enough to
summon backup.
"Rich called for assistance, and Doug got
off of him and went to his daughter's house
next door and locked himself inside," Owens
said, noting that at least four Sheriff's depu-
ties and two city police officers responded
almost immediately to Hillhouse's call for
help.
Owens said that at the time of the inci-
dent, he was attending an out of town
conference with both Weston County Sheriff
Bryan Colvard and Upton Police Chief Lynn
Hofland. He explained that the officers who
responded to the scene contacted him and
expressed some eagerness to force their way
into the dwelling to secure Hoover, but the
decision was made to try to convince him to
surrender without rushing the house.
"He was contained. There was nobody
in the trailer, and he was not a threat to
anybody. We weren't going to go in and risk
getting somebody hurt," said Owens, who
indicated that several other members of his
department had arrived on the scene by this
time.
"They called everybody in," he nodded.
The standoff continued for approxi-
mately two hours, however, and Hoover
gave no indication that he would surrender
peacefully.
"They attempted to maintain communi-
cations with him, and he made it very clear
he wasn't coming out" Owens reported.
He said that Hoover did, however, suggest
that he would be willing to surrender to a
U.S. Marshal, and when officers revealed
that condition to Owens via telephone, the
Upton Police Chief indicated that he might
be able to provide a solution. Jason Pinter, a
former Highway Patrolman who is presently •
a part-time officer on Hofland's force, is
also a part-time federal game warden, and
the county's law enforcement supervisors
decided to see if Pinter's federal credentials
would be enough to convince Hoover to give
himself up.
Pinter was instructed to don plain
clothes- of the sort worn by federal agents-
and make himself available at the scene to
accept Hoover's surrender. A short time
later, at approximately 3:45 p.m., he arrived
and the gamble paid off quickly.
"He presented himself to Doug as a
federal agent and showed him his creden-
tials, and Doug immediately surrendered to
him," Owens shrugged.
Hoover was taken into custody, and
was charged with breach of peace. He is
currently being held at the Weston County
Detention Center pending further action.
Owens reported Officer Hillhouse was
taken by ambulance to Weston County
Health Services, where he was treated for
a mild concussion, along with some bruises
and abrasions. He was released from the
hospital two hours later.
Owens said that he is glad the situ-
ation could be resolved peacefully, and
suggested that the cooperation between local
law enforcement agencies allowed officials
to exercise patience and end the standoff
without any further violence.
"Time was on our side, and we could i
take as much time as we needed to resolve
it. If we went in, we would have had to ta.ke
him down, and it just wasn't worth the risk
for what we were dealing with," Owens
reasoned.