POCATELLO — Back for the ninth year at what will be the third location, one local restaurant owner is providing Gate City area residents with a free Thanksgiving Day dinner.
In spite of what he has described as one of the hardest years for restaurant owners like himself, Nick Garcia, the owner of Senor Garcia’s Puerto Vallarta, is once again hosting his free turkey day dinner at his restaurant at 1600 Pocatello Creek Road from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.
“This has been the most difficult year for us,” Garcia said. “Even dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic was easy compared to now. We did all types of to-go orders then but right now is just hard. I think I can honestly speak for 99 percent of restaurant owners when I talk about how difficult things have been.”
On top of a rather stagnant economy, Garcia said three slow days at the Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot due to poor weather put a significant dent in the money he typically puts aside every year to pay for all of the Thanksgiving Day ingredients.
Garcia was determined, however, to ensure local residents who have fallen on hard times themselves or those who are looking to keep their own kitchens clean could depend on him.
“Times are hard on all of us,” he said. “I come from a family of six and I remember one year it was really tough on us. I always told myself that if I ever got the opportunity to give back to other people so they didn’t have to go through what we went through then I would do it. And God has been good to us. I’ve been able to do it every year since we’ve opened the restaurant.”
Garcia said he wouldn’t be able to host this year’s dinner without several community partners. Garcia said the local Coca-Cola distributor is sponsoring the meal alongside Del Monte Meats, of which the latter donated all of the turkeys this year, Garcia said.
“And Del Monte doesn’t cut any corners,” Garcia said. “They definitely weren’t messing around and ended up bringing me some Butterballs.”
Garcia also wanted to give kudos to local families who are contributing financially to make sure the free meal is still a go, which includes the families of Brady Robinson, Clay Robertson, Kevin Paulsen and Kyle Chatterton.
And while Senor Garcia’s Puerto Vallarta serves homemade authentic Tex-Mex during the business’ regular hours, Thursday’s meal will consist of the traditional Thanksgiving Day fixings.
Garcia said he, his father and his brothers will arrive at the restaurant around 2:30 a.m. and begin cooking the 18 turkeys he plans to serve that day. Aside from the basted birds (don’t think for a second Garcia will reveal his secret blends of herbs and spices), the meal includes yams with marshmallows, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a homemade cranberry sauce.
He is still looking to find some good desserts to offer as well and encourages anyone willing to make or donate a pie or dessert to contact him at 208-233-3141 or drop one off at the restaurant.
“Everything is totally free,” Garcia said. “The soft drink is free and so is the entire meal. We don’t charge a dime.”
Garcia said he really enjoys the opportunity to provide a home-cooked meal to local residents, and the chance he gets to cook and catch up with his dad and brothers is all gravy, too.
“It’s a great time for us because at 2:30 a.m. there isn’t a soul peeping about, it’s just us in the kitchen,” Garcia said. “And my brother, he has all kinds of stories. They’re not all true but it’s still a good time. By 11 a.m. we open the doors and my wife, other and some of my other siblings and members from the community come help us serve.”