FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A former employee has taken over Marlo's Little House of Tacos to keep the icon alive.
Charla Clark is the new owner of the Fayetteville taco shack. Living just around the corner growing up, Marlo's was a place to eat and work for Clark. She worked under Marlo Underhill from 1997 to 2002 but would help whenever needed as she managed a local Loafin' Joe's.
"I enjoyed it back then we were open until 11 o'clock at night, seven days a week. It was busy all the time. It was a lot of fun," Clark said.
Mike Tennant is a regular at Marlo's. He's been eating at the restaurant since September of 1973 when he was a freshman at the University of Arkansas. He had brought his cousin along for his first visit, quickly learning that the sauce had a bit of a kick to it.
"You'd see a lot of football players come in and eat. My God, they could eat," Tennant said. "It was a different world back then than it is now. This whole plaza here was a main hub at the time because the university was just right down the road."
Clark said for 13 years, she worked a manufacturing job in south Fayetteville before her husband and she pursued their own business. Never finding the right place, Clark would inquire with Marlo every time she'd stop by for a bite.
"I've been asking her for years, every time I come through the drive-thru, you know, 'If you want to sell it, let me know,' and she never responded. And then in September, when I came in and asked her, she said, 'Honey, I think I'm ready to sell,'" Clark.
Clark is the new owner of the taco shack but wants to keep the recipes and name. Clark explained that Marlo worked hard as a business owner, claiming that she should've retired a while ago. When Marlo's well enough, though, you can still catch her helping out around the shack. It's only a testament to the love Marlo had for her business, community, and employees.
"The relationship that she has with her customers is really great. I mean, she knows a lot of them by name. She talks to them, you know, outside of work. I think that the community loves her and that people love her. I mean, she's a legend," Clark explained.
Dustin Bolen previously worked at Marlo's before it closed briefly. He returned after he heard the shack was opening back up under a former employee. Bolen has worked other restaurant jobs, but none have the family feel that the small kitchen provides.
"Everybody cares for each other, so it makes the workplace 100% different," Bolen said.
Despite it being decades old and under a new owner, customers say it's still the same Marlo's.
"A lot of changes in my life, but the one thing that was consistent was this place," Tennant said. "They got it right. They've got it figured out."
Clark is thankful for the opportunity to carry on Marlo's legacy.
"I would hug her neck and I've told her thank you for this opportunity. And this is a blessing for my family. And I'm just proud to be a part of you know what she's built," Clark said.
The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Clark says in the future, they may expand to delivery and maybe a second location. They'd also like to cater events. You can find the menu and follow the restaurant through their website.
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