Feb. 22 is National Margarita Day, and Feb. 24 is National Tortilla Chip Day, a beverage and a food that are both familiar to Paul Hymas, the President, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Nacho Daddy who runs the popular restaurant alongside Co-Founders Fred Mossler and Keith Glynn.

The Wyoming native recently sat down at Nacho Daddy in Henderson over lunch to talk about the Las Vegas restaurant’s beginning, expansions and anniversaries, his favorite menu items and margaritas – and more:

Congratulations on a big anniversary – 15 years of Nacho Daddy. How does it feel?

It’s flown by. It’s hard to believe – 15 years. It makes me feel old (laughs). Especially in this business, a lot of small businesses don’t make it to 10 years with restaurant concepts.

My brother and I have fond memories of your first Nacho Daddy on Eastern Avenue in Henderson that’s now a Chick Fil-A – the OG Nacho Daddy.

It was our first restaurant, and the concept was still evolving back then. Actually, it wasn’t for sale, but Chick Fil-A offered us a price. We turned them down twice because we had the restaurant where we wanted.

We took the third offer because it would’ve taken us 10 years to make that kind of money. We used a lot of the money for the Miracle Mile location at Planet Hollywood.

Nacho Daddy originated in Las Vegas, correct?

Yes, and we’ve expanded outside Las Vegas. We have Salt Lake City and Nashville. We have AREA15, which was supposed to be April or May, but it’s looking more like late summer.

This Nacho Daddy we’re here at now on St. Rose Parkway in Henderson opened in January 2022. It seems like yesterday. Do you remember anything from opening day of your first Nacho Daddy on Eastern Avenue in Henderson in 2010?

It’s truly amazing how time flies.

Oh, yeah, we failed miserably, to be honest! We had a line out the door, and it became increasingly obvious that we hadn’t hired the right people. We had to make some changes. Our Day 1 was pretty brutal.

What have been some of the biggest changes with Nacho Daddy over the years?

A lot of it has just been dialing things in. If you’re in the food-and-beverage business, you need to pay attention to consumers and what’s going on. Right now, consumers are a little more value-oriented, so we look at price points.

It does get a little challenging. We use the most expensive proteins. We use filet mignon. It’s on our Vegas Golden Knights nachos and in our street tacos. Our chicken is all-white meat; it’s chicken breast.

But we’re finding ways to offer different price points for our consumers.

What are your favorite nachos at Nacho Daddy – you’re go-to and favorite nachos, which could be the same thing?

My go-to typically are fajitas, to be honest, and the street tacos. But we are Nacho Daddy, and the Vegas Golden Knights nachos are my go-to and the one I recommend to people when they ask.

We also have the Nacho of the Month. We like to mix it up for people, and our most popular one is the St. Patrick’s Day nachos. Instead of the corn chips, we use potatoes, and it includes corned beef and mustard. It sells out.

Which Nacho Daddy location is the most successful?

The Miracle Mile location on the Strip. Nacho Daddy is an experience, it’s fun and more modern Mexican. We go to Mexico a lot, and there are many regions of authentic Mexican food. We’re definitely more American Mexican.

We’re very experiential, and people like to come here and have fun. Miracle Mile is our most popular location because it’s a place to go celebrate, and the Downtown Las Vegas location is second.

Favorite margarita?

I like the skinny margarita because it’s just lime juice and a little bit of agave to sweeten it and tequila. I like to keep it simple.

Anything else?

It’s fairly rare for a Las Vegas-born brand to go to the Strip because it’s usually brands from around the country. We’re an independent brand, a local brand that made it on the Strip and made it out of state. We’re definitely unique.

We’ve had vegan items on our menu since the Eastern location. And visitors still love our Scorpion Shot! On a recent late Saturday night, I saw visitors exit a taxi, order shots, then depart. We were on their to-do list for Las Vegas.

More: NachoDaddy.com