El Jefe’s Taqueria reopens after Five 10 Flats fire

El Jefe’s Taqueria, a South Side Bethlehem restaurant, reopened on Saturday after being closed since May 2 due to a fire at the Five 10 Flats apartment building. 

The fire, which started after a cigarette was improperly discarded on the roof of the building, displaced 135 residents. El Jefe’s Taqueria was one of the businesses located on the ground floor of the building forced to close due to water damage.

The restaurant’s return follows after renovations were made during the closure. Its neighboring stores also impacted by the fire, Mister Lee’s Noodles and Starbucks, have yet to reopen.

When the taqueria’s doors reopened on Saturday, the line of people stretched out the door and onto the sidewalk.

John Schall, the majority owner of the restaurant since 2015, said he is thrilled to welcome customers back. 

“Both the city of Bethlehem and Lehigh University have been huge supporters of us ever since we opened,” Schall said.

He said El Jefe’s Taqueria has undergone major renovations since the fire and hopes customers will be impressed and enjoy the new look. Schall also said the Bethlehem storefront is the chain’s oldest location, and it now looks like the newest following the renovations. 

“The restaurant almost looks brand new,” Schall said. “All the equipment in the restaurant is new. It’s just a whole new facelift.” 

Schall also said the restaurant had its renovations covered by business interruption insurance, and all employees were still paid during the closure.  

“The staff were paid for the entire four months, just as if they were working their regular schedules,” Schall said. “It was a pretty seamless (transition). They were all there, raring to go once we started prepping (on Friday).” 

Although El Jefe’s Taqueria received money from the insurance claim, Schall said the company dropped them after the payout. He did not disclose the insurance company’s name or elaborate as to why. 

Schall said preparing the restaurant while the remainder of the Five 10 Flats building is still under construction was a challenge amid the taqueria’s smooth reopening. 

He said El Jefe’s Taqueria and the Five 10 Flats are on different construction timelines and working on two projects in the same building at once can be difficult. He said the rest of the apartment building isn’t going to be back open for another five or six months. 

Schall also said El Jefe’s Taqueria received support from its delivery partner, DoorDash, which matched the restaurant’s $10,000 donation to a relief fund for residents displaced  by the fire.

Andreas Lysandropoulos, the regional manager of El Jefe’s Taqueria, said the most rewarding part of the return was opening the doors and seeing the excitement on people’s faces.

Lysandropoulos said he felt supported by the Bethlehem community during the closure  through many five-star reviews being left on Google. 

“The amount of five-star reviews that we received while we were closed was not even funny,” Lysandropoulos said. “I looked at the comments, and many said, ‘We miss you. Please reopen.’”

Aniya Alexander, the Bethlehem location’s general manager, said she also felt supported by the community during the closure. 

She said the restaurant’s regular customers messaged her daily over the summer asking when it would reopen. 

“It just feels amazing to be able to serve the community, because it’s a staple in (the) South Side now,” she said. “So that’s the greatest feeling.” 

Bethlehem community member Calen Michaels said she missed El Jefe’s Taqueria during the closure and that waiting in the long line on opening day was worth it.

“I missed El Jefes when it was gone, especially because I work nearby at Playa Bowls,” Michaels said. “It’s great to have it back.”

Schall said the restaurant  plans to reach out to customers over the next 60 days through a social media marketing campaign, letting Bethlehem residents and Lehigh students know the restaurant is open again.