By Luke Waack
Assistant editor

A taste of Cheyenne, Wyo., has arrived on Fort Leonard Wood.

AAFES officially opened a Taco John’s restaurant, whose franchise motto is “the fresh taste of West-Mex”, in Bldg. 490, not far from Starbucks, with a ceremonial ribbon cutting, Friday morning.

For those that haven’t eaten at Taco John’s before, one thing truly sets them apart from other Mexican restaurant chains; potatoes.

“Taco John’s has these special Potato Olés — they’re awesome — they have a special seasoning on them, and if you call them ‘tater tots,’ we have problems,” said Carolyn Daniel, store manager. “Trust me, it’s totally different from Taco Bell; once you eat it, you will get hooked. The flavor of the meat is spicy, and the breakfast is totally different. Taco John’s puts Potato Olés in everything.”

Daniel and her four supervisors went to corporate headquarters in Cheyenne, Wyo., to receive three weeks of training, direct from company trainers. The restaurant employs 30 people here on post.

Fort Leonard Wood’s Army and Air Force Exchange Service general manager has big hopes for the new eatery’s future.

“We’re very excited to be bringing this concept here to Fort Leonard Wood. It has taken us several months to bring to fruition, but we expect this to be the top Taco John’s in all of AAFES,” said Ray Emils, Fort Leonard Wood AAFES general manager.

So far, Taco John’s is off to a good start. One diner, who ate there Nov. 12, found her first taste of “West-Mex” pretty tasty.

“I think it was excellent. I had the Super Nachos Ole, and it was big,” said Jan Gray, customer.

The Fort Leonard Wood store is the 14th Taco John’s to open on a military installation, according the AAFES Public Affairs Office.

The store is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. Breakfast ends at 10:30 a.m. daily, except Sunday, when the morning menu ends at 11 a.m.