More sad news just in this past 24 hours – Hector’s Mexican Food in Millcreek (2901 E 3300 S) are set to turn the lights off for the last time this weekend. After a near three decade stint (the restaurant lived life as Molca Salsa prior) a note shared across social media reads:
“To our loyal and new customers, We would like to start out by saying THANK YOU.
Thank you for allowing us the privilege to serve you. Our family could have never imagined that we would still be here after 27 years. We are truly humbled by the fact that we have become such a staple in the Milcreek community We have made the decision to close our doors, due to the fact that we cannot find enough staff to work. So this Saturday will be our last day, We will miss you all dearly and again thank
you for all of your support Sincerely, Hector and family.”
Hector’s menu was beloved by locals for the deep selection which featured a slew of wallet friendly options; even the most recent iteration had a healthy selection priced under ten bucks – a price point seen less and less these days. Those who want to sample Hector’s cuisine one final time will need to swing by before the end of the week proper. The last day of business for Hector’s will be Saturday 5th of November. The restaurant will be open from 5.00 p.m. – 10.00 p.m. both Friday and Saturday.
The news about the East side Mexican restaurant comes amidst record low unemployment in Utah – the state seeing just 1.9% unemployment at this time. The number is one of the lowest in the nation. It was roughly a year ago I penned – why your favorite restaurant might be closing – and sadly, many of those factors are starting to weigh on local businesses. In recent weeks, Taqueria Los Lee just down the road in South Salt Lake also called it quits.
In the wake of the Hector’s announcement, many took to Reddit to discuss and reminisce, with one Redditor writing (around 7.30 p.m. Thursday), “The line is out of control right now. If you want to get your fix, you don’t want to go now, or at least plan on a long wait. It is a tragedy tho, been going to this place for a loooong time.” If you plan to toast their departure with one last hearty plate – count on on long lines.
Update November 4th – KSL report that “Hundreds line up” with wait times 60-90 minutes.
Update November 5th, in an interview with owner Hector Uribe, FOX13 tease that this might not be the end for Uribe’s food. The namesake owner stated, “We don’t have anything planned yet, but don’t discount on us that we might pop out in the area, eventually in the near future. [It] might be something like this again, but for the moment, we’ve got to kind of close this door and hopefully we open another one in the near future.”
Image credit, Tom Oswald via Google.
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Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.
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Molca Salsa, then Hector’s, used to be really great, especially in the Molca Salsa era. Since it became Hector’s, the overall quality has diminished somewhat. That being said, Hector’s provided good quality at a low cost. Their chili relleno burrito was perfect after a long day skiing. Sad that another long-time staple has called it quits.