The founder of a longtime Wichita taco chain has died, just a year after losing his wife
The founder of a favorite Wichita taco restaurant has died just a year after losing his wife and co-founder.
Taco Pronto owner Ken Thrush, 72, died on Jan. 31. His family remembered him with a private memorial service on Saturday.
His wife, Linda Thrush, died just a year ago, passing away in December 2018 after a long illness.
“We will take care of his legacy,” said Ken’s son, Joe, who has worked with his parents in the restaurants since he was a teen and says he will continue them with his brother, Jason. “The family will make sure things stay just the way he liked it.”
Ken was working at Boeing in 1973 when he and Linda decided to buy the Taco Pete chain. The family changed the name to Taco Pronto 10 years later, and Wichita now has two Taco Pronto restaurants — at 8385 W. 21st St. and at 7333 W. Central.
Taco Pronto is known for its big and reliable fast-food menu — and as a good place to work. In a story about the chain’s 40th anniversary, Ken said he took pride in that fact.
“We’re a family,” he said in 2013. “We don’t have a corporate mentality. We’re food people, and we want to cater to families.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 10:18 AM.
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