The side of El Burrito’s storage building features local art.
After 16 years, El Burrito’s last day of operation will be Monday, April 24. The small taco shop is known for its simple menu, live music and support of the community. Owner Suzi Sheffield recently sold the business to a California developer who has bought up a half-block of properties on Harden Street.
Developer Gustavo Spoliansky of Campus + Main has told Free Times he’s keeping his options open as to what will happen at the site — whether simply repurposing the buildings and adding parking in an attempt to attract national and local businesses, or razing them and building something new.
Free Times sat down with Sheffield — who lives in Atlanta but has been back in Columbia to help out during El Burrito’s closing weeks — to look back at the 16 years of memories at one of Five Points’ most beloved restaurants. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
How has this week been for you?
I’m just so happy [with the community response]. When we announced it, I thought it was going to be a busy lunch and then it’d be just relaxed.
It’s been really crazy, in a wonderful, fabulous way. That’s the best thing, that it’s been organized chaos. Everyone’s just jumped in. We’ve had old employees that come on their lunch break and do dishes.
How did El Burrito get started?
I had come from Atlanta intending to go to grad school. I was excited about grad school, but when I came here there was this For Rent sign. I’ve always been a food person, and when I saw the sign and location I told my family, “I think I want to open a burrito place.”
This was two or three years before Moe’s and Chipotle was a concept. I knew at colleges out West there was always a cheap burrito place around. I wanted to bring that here.
So we ended up purchasing the building. It took six months to build out. We added a patio and redid the interior.
What was it like working with this particular space?
What’s interesting is that it was a Toddle House, which is the footprint that gave way to the Huddle House and Waffle House. It always had nine seats and it had pie at the end of the counter, so the bones of the building always dictated the business plan.
We don’t have a liquor license, but where would it go anyways? We don’t have margaritas. We don’t have coffee. We don’t have dessert. We can stir the pot, talk on the phone, make someone’s order and, like, chop lettuce at the same time.
This base sort of dictated our business plan, which was fabulous because it ended up being so simple. Tacos, burritos, salad, and sometimes soup.
Music seems like it has always been a part of El Burrito. How did that start?
Well, everything that has happened here that’s been successful via anything started with no planning, just sort of spur-of-the-moment decisions. Any sort of concept seemed to work here, which is a once-in-a-lifetime happening, I feel like.
There were two fellows, James Johnson and Barrett Smith, that were eating one day and asked if they could come by at night and play music. And it was crowded, and then it was too crowded the next Thursday, so we moved to the back and that weekend built a little shed to support it. And that’s how it happened. We’ve had a lot of people attending different shows here, and then if people wanted to do anything we wanted it to be an open space.
You mentioned there was a funeral at El Burrito. Can you tell us a bit about that?
It was Woody! His name was Thad Woodberry. He was a fixture of the Five Points area. Homeless by choice.
I had just gotten the keys to the building and I was cleaning up. It was as if he came with the property. He just walked in and introduced himself, and really never left [laughs]. He helped us clean and came by every night. He instantly became part of the family.
Unfortunately Woody had some heart issues and was in the hospital. I got a call after he passed away that he had listed us as next of kin.
We had a service in the back of El Burrito. It was so fabulous how many people came. Five Points people, city councilmen, people he had worked for over the years, and we had someone speak that was actually a classmate from first grade.
That was the funeral! And we’re so proud of that. He had been part of our family for five years. We were honored to do it.
Did you really feel this was the right time to close?
I’m absolutely positive. To me, all good things must come to an end. We have had offers on the building for years, and it never felt like it was right until now.
I do feel good about the people coming in and I wouldn’t have made the decision to sell if I didn’t feel they had the best interest of this area in mind.
