Remember When

Carlos Murphy’s was a much-loved Irish Mexican Café chain with great food and drinks in Kalamazoo for many years. They opened in December, 1980. Located at the corner of W. Main St. and U.S. 131.

Carlos Murphy’s embraced the greater Kalamazoo community by providing a gathering space for a variety of events, including meetings, live music (such as Los Bandits & others) and parties for all occasions.

Gus Macker basketball tournaments were held in the parking lot and they were sponsors for many local sports teams. Kalamazoo’s local owner was Daniel Henry.

If you were lucky enough to experience Carlos Murphy’s hospitality, you may remember the Wild E. Coyote in a glass case at the entrance. In addition to the talented magician, James Sunnock, dressed like Groucho Marx who made visits to diner’s tables, performing card tricks. Sunnock went on to become the head pastor at Victory Life Church in Battle Creek.

Former patrons fondly recall their 21 margarita flavors, including bubble gum, banana split and tangerine, which was one of their most popular. On Sundays, they had a 2 for 1 jumbo margarita special and 99 cent margarita Monday’s. Others recall Tea for 2, a carafe filled with long island iced tea served in a bucket of ice. The drink of the house was their Gold Rush, a mixture of Cuervo Gold tequila, Grand Marnier and lime juice.

Menu favorites included: monster cookies, fried ice cream, French onion soup au Gratin, shark tacos, Iguana eggs, chimichanga’s, potato skins and of course their popular nachos topped with their delicious shredded beef. I loved both the potato skins and the nachos and would trade off ordering between the two. They were large enough to share with a friend as a meal or group of friends as an appetizer.

Carlos Murphy’s began in Northern California in 1972, operating just 2 restaurants until 1974. By 1975, they became the highest grossing, most profitable restaurant in the U.S. By 1977 they had grown to 21 restaurants. Carlos Murphy’s offered a casual dining experience with a 100-item menu with a large bar component. A single restaurant would serve as many as 1000 meals a day, employed 80-100 people and had one of the industries’ highest quality operations, where all of the products were produced in-house. In the early 1980’s they averaged over $2 million annually, equal to today’s dollars to almost 6 million - Creating a halfa-billion dollar a year brand value in North America.

In 1984 the 20 Carlos Murphy’s Restaurants were combined into one company, owned by Paragon Restaurants, with a home office in San Diego.

By 1991 Carlos Murphy’s purchased Garcia’s of Scottsdale, The Famous Fish Company and Casa Lupita’s restaurants, raising the total to 70 restaurants in 17 states with 4200 employees, 240 management and 35 executive staff and support personnel.

Today, the Carlos Murphy’s Restaurants are gone, but the flavor lives on in their signature products, available through grocery and convenience stores. In addition, some of Carlos Murphy’s menu items are available through ghost kitchens within existing restaurants. Customers can only order Carlos Murphy’s via the app or through major food delivery service apps. For more information visit carlosmurphys.com.

After Carlos Murphy’s closed during the early summer months of 1997 in Kalamazoo, TGI Fridays eventually took over the space. The building has since been raised to make room for Westgate, a $100 million, mixeduse development plan with hotels and restaurants utilizing the 140-acre parcel by the highway, including Holiday Inn & Suites and Holiday Inn Express.

Carlos Murphy’s logo t-shirts are available locally at Kalamazoo Sportswear at 728 W. Michigan Ave. in downtown Kalamazoo. There’s also a local Facebook group: Carlosmurphyskalamazoo.

Jackie Merriam

Sources: Carlosmurphys.com, Facebook/Vanished Kalamazoo, MLive 5/26/2017.

A. Photo credit: Carlos Murphy’s bar area, September 1986.

(This is a Detroit Free Press file photo by Craig Porter.) B. Photo Credit: Shannon Allen