- Details
- By Levi Rickert
Last Thursday was a day of firsts when the Wahlburgers Favorites opened at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino Resort that is owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe in New Mexico.
The restaurant became the first Wahlburger restaurant to open in the state of New Mexico and the first to open in under a sub-franchise agreement between the restaurant chain and NativeWahl, a subsidiary of Little River Holdings, the economic development corporation of the Little River Tribe, base in Manistee, Mich. NativeWahl is led by Eugene Magnuson.
Wahlburgers is a casual dining burger restaurant founded by brothers Mark, Donnie and Chef Paul Wahlberg.
Heading the effort for the Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino Resort is Frizzell Frizell, Jr., the resort’s chief operating officer.
Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino Reort COO Frizzel Frizzel, Jr. and NativeWahl's Eugene Magnuson (Photo/Levi Rickert)
Frizzell says the resort explored ways to repurpose its buffet that was closed down during the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago. When the resort reopened, Frizzell and his team decided to convert the space into a food court for casino and resort patrons. The cost to convert the closed down buffet space into a food court setting was $5.5 million.
The repurposed space made room for the Wahlburgers Favorites, a Sbarro Pizza, a coffee shop and other restaurants.
NativeWahl and the Inn of the Mountain Gods Casino Resort executed a sub franchise agreement in March 2022. The resort sent staff to the Wahlburgers training to learn how to properly prepare all the chain's products properly.
Cheeseburger and tater-tots (Photo/Courtesy)
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsNative News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Urges Tribal Members to Register to Vote
Sen. Tester on Disability Rights; His Opponent Has No Answers
Presidential Debate Between the Candidates Set for Tuesday Night, Hosted by ABC
Following the release of the U.S. Department of the Interior's final report, we at Native News Online took a moment to reflect on our extensive three-year effort to highlight the traumatic legacy of Indian boarding schools. By covering all 12 Road to Healing events and publishing over 250 articles, we have amplified survivors' voices and illuminated the lasting impact on Indigenous communities. Our work continues. Please consider donating to help fund our ongoing coverage of Indian boarding schools.
