Submitted by: Steve Guice
When my girlfriend and I were students at the U of A ’72 – ’74, she worked part time as a waitress on the evening shift a few days a week. I usually dropped her off then returned to design lab for a few hours until her shift ended. Once when I got there early I was waiting at an empty table, Ray came by and asked, a bit gruffly, if I’d eaten that night. I hadn’t, and a few minutes later my girlfriend brought me a taco plate I hadn’t ordered, and said Ray told her to serve it. I left her a generous tip! That happened a few times after that, but I didn’t want to take advantage of the free meal and usually waited outside if I arrived early. Before moving back to Tucson more than 20 years later (and 20 years ago), I visited often and a meal at El Charro was always a top priority. It’s now the first place we take out of town guests. A few years ago we reserved the downtown El Charro courtyard for a large extended family reunion with about 50 guests, and everyone loved the food, the setting, and the excellent service. Today, after 50 years eating at El Charro, it’s still at the top of my favorite Tucson restaurants.
