Old-School Ad of El Torito: The "Has-Bean"

​I interviewed El Torito founder Larry Cano a couple of weeks ago for my upcoming book on the history of Mexican food in the United States. Lot of great stories that I'll save for the book, but here's a funny tidbit that Señor Cano had forgotten.

This appeared in a 1957 ad for the Los Angeles Times, just a couple of years after Cano opened the first El Torito in Encino. Imagine the furor Mexis would unleash today if a Mexican restaurant tried to run this ad? My only remark: the white bandanna wrapped around the bean seems seems stolen from the era's imagery of Japanese not Mexis...