Dwayne Roberts dies: Frozen burrito magnate, Mission Inn owner was 88

Devin Roberts made millions with a food he was completely ignorant of at first: the humble burrito.

It was the 1950s, and his family owned a small meat wholesaler called Butcher Boy, which sold patties to local restaurants, including the first McDonald’s operating company, located in San Bernardino.

As the fast-food chain and other burger joints grew in popularity, the family thought of other products they could produce, Roberts noted in a 2007 interview with the Orange County Register.

A butcher who worked at the company, who Roberts described as being of Hispanic heritage, made a suggestion: “Why don’t you make burritos?”

“I love Mexican food, but I don’t know what a burrito is,” Roberts told the Register, adding that he was more familiar with enchiladas and tacos.

But entrepreneur Roberts turned the seed of an idea into bean and beef burritos that could be frozen and then sold deep-fried.

Roberts, whose business success would play a key role in Inland Empire Republican politics and local fame as the owner of the historic Mission Inn, died Saturday, according to his family. He was 88 years old.

The story goes that a riverside merchant spent two days in the kitchen experimenting to get straight burritos. The sale helped expand the family business from one plant with 60 workers to six plants with 1,400 workers.

Roberts lost millions of dollars in 1980 when he sold the company to Central Soy Company. At the time, the company was generating $80 million in annual sales and producing 1 million burritos per day.

His wife, Kelly J. Roberts, said in a statement that her husband was “a visionary entrepreneur, devoted husband and a man whose heart and generosity shaped him forever. [their] Family and Community.” She said he died peacefully in his sleep.

She described Roberts as a “proud American” who served in the United States Army and was a “staunch supporter” of the Republican Party.

“[H]He believed passionately in the principles of hard work, perseverance and opportunity, values ​​that guided both his business and his life.

Roberts hosted a re-election fundraiser for then-President George W. Bush in 2003, and his wife was President Trump’s pick for ambassador to Slovenia during Trump’s first term — though she later withdrew from the race, Politico reported.

The businessman, who grew up in Riverside, is also known for saving the historic Mission Inn from the brink of demolition.

The hotel—which hosted both Nixon’s wedding and Reagan’s honeymoon—closed for major renovations in 1985, but the renovation stalled, and then the hotel market collapsed. Roberts offered $15.6 million, a pittance compared to the $55 million for the chemical bank-funded redevelopment.

However, the bank received fears of further losses. Roberts reopened the Mission Inn in 1992.

“How the Mission Inn was saved is a heartwarming story of the city,” former Times reporter Daniel Axt wrote after the reopening. “But it’s also an object lesson in what you can do if you’re resourceful — and smart — during Southern California’s worst recession since the 1930s.”

Roberts had an emotional attachment to the hotel, as his meat company sometimes entertained customers there. His mother also loved decorative architecture.

“I love beautiful old things. Mission Inn is the fabric that binds a community together. It’s a heartwarming thing. Some people have sports teams, I own Mission Inn,” he told the Register in 2007.

Roberts and his wife are longtime residents of Laguna Beach, but earlier this year they bought a $48.5 million Palm Beach estate, the latest example of wealthy Californians and Trump fans flocking to Florida.

He is survived by his wife and stepchildren Doug and Casey.