From burgers to filet mignon — that's how far Saguaro Corners has come in 50 years.
A Tucson landmark near the entrance to Saguaro National Park, the restaurant started as a small, red-and-white, eight-stool hamburger stand with a couple of gas pumps out front.
Burgers are still on the lunch menu, but the dinner offerings have expanded over the years and now include lamb chops, chateaubriand, shrimp scampi and eggplant Parmesan.
Saguaro Corners was started in 1956 by Bert Calvert, who acquired the East Side desert acreage as payment for a debt, said his son, Frank Calvert, 88, who has been running the restaurant since his father died in 1963.
Frank Calvert worked as a cook when he first took ownership and his wife, Florence, was the hostess.
One of their sons, Bob, 64, joined the operation in the mid-1970s when he was discharged from the military.
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"Halloween evening, '74, I got out of the Air Force in New Mexico," Bob Calvert remembers. "That day I drove home and Mom said, 'Your dad has the flu, you're cooking.' "
The younger Calvert was a mechanic in the Air Force but had worked some odd jobs as a cook, so he had a little experience.
"Basically I learned what I know right here," he said.
The original hamburger stand is now the bar and the dining rooms that were added by Frank Calvert and his father are lined with picture windows facing natural desert landscaping.
It's the foliage, bird feeders and water fountains that attract desert dwellers, including bobcats, ringtails, coyotes, javelina, squirrels and quail and other native birds.
Now Bob Calvert is the restaurant's primary cook while his father pitches in around the restaurant when it's busy.
"Mom's been gone 10 years, so it's just Dad and me keeping the family operation going," Bob Calvert said. "He's not the retiring type. He'll be going here right until the end. He's a very good man."
Frank Calvert's employees think so, too. Bookkeeper Linda Johnston keeps a file folder filled with the Calverts' old family photos. Some show the original burger stand and others picture Frank tending bar or with a mop in his hand.
"Mr. Calvert is so amazing," she said.
Calvert arrives each morning between 8 or 8:30 and stays until closing at 9:30 p.m. He runs errands, seats customers and cleans tables when the restaurant is busy.
"Some things don't change — Mr. Calvert behind the bar and cleaning," she said.
Calvert is blasé about the longtime family business that has attracted all types of customers.
"We even had a couple stars," Frank Calvert said, "I never paid attention to that, though. I didn't keep track."
Lou Culin lives in the area and has been dining at Saguaro Corners for about 15 years.
"It's all good," he said, "It's old like me and it's good old-style stuff. They're good people and the steaks are good cuts of meat."
Chris Martin has lived in Tucson for 30 years and has been coming to Saguaro Corners for decades.
"I come out here for a nice drive. The food's always good and it's a chance to see the animals," said Martin, who had a hummingbird's nest just over his shoulder on the other side of the picture window. "It's a one-of-a-kind place."
Stick-to-the-ribs American cuisine isn't the only thing that has brought people to Saguaro Corners for half a century.
Like Martin, many customers also come to see the wildlife.
"It's just a real peaceful, enjoyable atmosphere," Johnston said. "When the animals come, the people go nuts."
If you go
● What: Saguaro Corners
● Where: 3750 S. Old Spanish Trail
● Call: 886-5424
● Online: www. saguarocorners.net
● Hours: Noon to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays for lunch and dinner, and noon to 9:30 p.m. Sundays. Bar is open from noon to 9:30 Tuesdays-Sundays.
