IDAHO FALLS – A new fast-casual restaurant in downtown Idaho Falls is serving tamales with a twist.

Tamales Inc., 475 Park Avenue, opened in July by business partners Ricco Lanauze, Wendy Hotzel and Luis Hernandez.

“We wanted to reinvent the wheel. We didn’t want to be just another restaurant selling Mexican food,” Lanauze said. “We wanted to do something different, something new. We found something to offer people that they’ve never had before.”

Originally from New Jersey and his mother from Mexico, Lanauze learned how to make tamales and has been in the restaurant business for over 30 years.

He said it takes about six and a half hours to prepare the nearly 250 to 300 tamales made daily at the restaurant.

As you enter Tamales Inc., you’ll notice a sign with bright colors and murals recognizing local high schools, sports teams and towns.

“Our theme is the Día de los Muertos in Mexico,” said Lanauze.

The restaurant is decorated like a “Subway” and customers put together their own food.

“You pick your rice. We put the rice on the bottom of the plate. It’s kind of like a tamale bowl. Then you pick your tamales, one, two or three tamales (chicken, pork or beef). We put them in the oven for 30 seconds and then you pick your toppings,” he said.

There is a famous cheese dip that customers love.

“As if people would kill for it,” said Lanauze, smiling. “We get a very special cheese. We add our spices and melt it.”

There are frozen aguas frescas, like the “Frosty Horchata,” which is a big hit. There are also “walking tamales,” which are similar to walking tacos. The idea was Hernandez’s.

“Holy shit. This is so damn good! We grab one of the potato chip bags: Tostitos, Doritos, Fritos or Hot Cheetos. We just flip it over, cut it open on the side and stuff it with the tamale of their choice. Then we put a very generous amount of our famous cheese dip on top. Then any toppings they want. They just walk around with a fork and eat it,” Lanauze said.

Hotzel said walking tamales are popular with children.

“They’re really excited about it. They think it’s funny,” she said. “It’s all delicious. I love it. I knew I liked tamales, but now I love them.”

She works in the reception area and takes care of customers, and she enjoys it. She feels like she has made new friends for life and said many customers have already returned.

“Some people have been here six or seven times or more in the two weeks (since we opened),” Hotzel said. “We’ve had some tourists from Japan and I think there have been some from Australia as well.”

Hernandez said business is good. Most people have heard about Tamales Inc. through word of mouth. He said their work in producing the food and the business is rewarding.

“People were very happy about our opening,” he said. “We like being here.”

Tamales Inc. is open Monday through Saturday starting at 11:00 a.m. It closes between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. or until the store runs out of tamales.

“I would just invite (the community) to come here and check it out. I’m pretty sure they would love to be here,” Hernandez said.

Lanauze added that he hopes people entering the restaurant for the first time will be open to trying something new.

“We’re not the store that only sells tamales,” he said. “We can knock them out.”