Felix Louis Stehling, Jr. (April 2, 1927 – December 10, 2012) ^[1] was an American businessman and restaurateur. ^[2] Stehling and his brother Mike Stehling co-founded Taco Cabana, a fast food restaurant chain specializing in Tex-Mex cuisine, in 1978. ^[2] Stehling is credited as the inventor of the beanburger, a now common dish in the San Antonio area, consisting of refried beans, Fritos and Cheez Whiz. ^[2]

Early life and education

Stehling was born in Fredericksburg, Texas, the second oldest of his family's eleven children. ^[2] His parents were German Catholics who operated a men's clothing store. ^[3] He graduated from St. Mary's University in San Antonio. ^[2]

Career

First restaurants and beanburger

Stehling initially worked for an insurance company, but left that industry after just two years. ^[2] He then owned and operated a series of restaurants and nightclubs in San Antonio, including the Crystal Pistol and the Bombay Bicycle Club. ^[2] In 1952, he signed a three-year lease to rent a small, shack-like restaurant on Austin Highway from Frank Sills, the owner of the first Sills' Snack Shack. ^[2] It was here that Stehling invented and first offered the beanburger. ^[2] Stehling is credited as the inventor of the beanburger, a now common dish in the San Antonio area, consisting of refried beans, Fritos and Cheez Whiz. ^{[2] [4]} Frank Sills later sold Stehling's beanburger creation at his own restaurants once Stehling's lease on the building expired. ^[2]

Taco Cabana

In 1978, Stehling and his brother, Mike, opened the first Taco Cabana in San Antonio at the intersection of Hildebrand and San Pedro streets at the site of a former Dairy Queen, dubbing the restaurant "the original Mexican patio café". ^[2] Felix Stehling's wife, Billie Jo Stehling, created the décor and overall interior look for the restaurant chain. ^[5] Margie Lopez Abonce was hired to prepare the food and menu. ^[3] They made it a 24-hour restaurant because Felix Stehling didn't want to spend an hour every night working with patio furniture. ^[5] Mike Stehling later left the company in 1986. Felix Stehling kept five restaurants and the name, while Mike Stehling kept four outlets and renamed them TaCasita. ^[3]

As of 1989, Stehling remained president of the company. ^[6] Stehling made Taco Cabana a public company when the chain reached fifty stores, including locations in Austin and Houston. ^[2] However, in 1994 Taco Cabana's board of directors ousted Stehling from the company. ^{[2] [4]}

Spurs and charity

Stehling was once a partial owner of the San Antonio Spurs. ^[2] Outside of Texas, Stehling held real estate investments in Colorado. ^[2]

He founded a charity which provided funding for the Special Olympics of Texas, his alma mater, St. Mary's University, and other charitable groups. ^[2]

Personal life

He married Billie Jo Stehling in 1960. ^[5] He had two stepsons. ^{[2] [7]} As he grew older, he continued to pick up meals from Taco Cabana for him and his wife. ^[8] Billie Jo died on May 6, 2011, at the age of 86. ^[5] Stehling, who suffered from dementia during his later years, died on December 10, 2012, at the age of 85. ^[2]

References