When Pete Turner signed the lease for Illegal Pete’s first location in February 1995, he was not much older than the college crowd he primarily would be serving. A recent University of Colorado graduate, he brought only his degree in English and a drive to succeed. The source of much of Turner’s motivation and confidence during the difficult start-up stages was his father Pete, who was his partner in Pete’s but who was battling battling terminal cancer. While many of his peers were trying to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives, Turner was getting ready to launch a fast casual restaurant that would carry not only his name, but also his personality and passion to offer great mission-style Mexican food in a relaxed atmosphere that celebrates individuality and human connection.

Turner opened Illegal Pete’s University Hill location in August 1995. The 600-sqaure-foot space was small, but it allowed for a fun, intimate atmosphere where customers and employees could interact. That atmosphere became one of the restaurant’s defining features, and Turner has been careful to maintain it in all his restaurants. When he launched Illegal Pete’s, Turner had little formal business experience and not even Shakespeare could have prepared him for the challenges those first years would bring. Someone had to roll the burritos, take out the trash, manage the restaurant’s first six employees, and make sure every other aspect of the business was running smoothly. For the most part, that someone was Turner.

In the early years, 100-hour work weeks were the norm. And while someone else may be rolling the burritos these days, Turner has never lost sight of the vision that brought him to this point. Good food, good service and goodwill were the original ingredients in a business that has not only grown and improved under Turner’s guidance, but also become an integral part of each community it serves. Illegal Pete’s has since grown to 13 restaurants in Colorado and one in Tucson, Arizona.

Turner started Illegal Pete’s with a simple idea – to provide quality food in a service-oriented environment. Illegal Pete’s is an extension of Turner as much as it is a reflection of his vision. In the nearly 30 years since he opened his first location, Turner’s commitment to a culture that reflects the uniqueness of the community and a personalized customer experience has remained bedrock to the brand, and that is what keeps Pete motivated entering his fourth decade as the Leader of Illegal Pete’s.