By Frank Espinoza
Mail

West Valley residents are surrounded by chain stores, restaurants and cafes that for years dominated the market.

Yet cities such as Scottsdale and Tempe have already been hosting a thriving independent businesses community, particularly with restaurants. Even local groups that started in Phoenix — Upward Projects, the company behind Postino and other brands, and Fox Restaurant Concepts, behind such eateries as Flower Child and Culinary Dropout, have stuck to the East Valley.

On the west side, it is a much quieter local scene and community support for local restaurants. Places like Westgate tend to feature popular chains like Buffalo wild Wings, Dutch Bros and Dave & Busters.

Local dining experts and those in the industry say part of the reason the region has seen an abundance of chains is because of th pace of growth. Buckeye and Goodyear, for example, are both among the 10 fastest-growing cities in the nation, according to U.S. Census Bureau.

Buckeye alone grew faster than any other city in the nation, with the population growing nearly 80% in the last decade to reach more than 91,000. Goodyear’s population increased 46% to 95,294 in 2020.

Because of the population growth of homes and residents, developers found an easy target for projects in bringing in popular chain restaurants. But a growing segment of the dining competition is coming from homegrown sites like, Saddle Mountain Brewing Co., which opened its doors at 15651 W. Roosevelt St. in Goodyear in 2014.

As a resident to the Buckeye area, Saddle Mountain owner Laurel Hansen has witnessed firsthand the change in landscape and businesses in the area. She said she remembers when the area’s first Taco Bell opened and how exciting it was to not have to drive to Goodyear for simple services like fast-food chains.

“When we opened in 2014, we were the farthest brewery in the West Valley. I believe we were the only brewery with nothing west of us. When people would drive by and come inside, they thought we were a coffee shop. Since that time it has gotten more popular in this area for breweries.” Hansen said.

Yet for independent breweries like Hansen’s, the pandemic reduced staff capacity, indoor dining, supply chain issues and recently inflation prices.

“Inflation and supply chain was the first issue. We couldn’t get chicken, eggs or milk was the first thing. Then they slowed production for getting grain for brewing our beer. Then we had hiring issues for labor force for cooks, cleaning crew and for the staff that I need,” Hansen said.

Hansen said she’s thankful for the patrons who stuck with her before and after the pandemic. Without their loyalty and extra-mile mentality, she said she would have suffered worse.

Challenges for startups

While finding local dining is getting easier, it isn’t getting easier for the operations to exist as the real estate market has boomed. In cities like Goodyear, Avondale, Peoria and Glendale, there isn’t rentable existing space for tenants that don’t have exorbitant rents. Restaurateurs say they can’t build and upgrade the spaces when starting a business with $100,000. Trying to afford tenant improvements with that money doesn’t go very far.

Daphnie Kelly, owner of Modern Grind at 13044 W. Rancho Santa Fe Blvd. in Avondale, knows the real estate challenges. Since the cafe’s creation in 2020, she said she has had to adapt and overcome issues presented by the pandemic.

“We signed the lease two weeks before COVID-19. We had the groundbreaking through livestream so we were the very first business to do groundbreaking through the technology and city officials could not start construction as it was delayed and delayed. We had supply chain issues after with cups and supplies. Basically, I spent all my days calling every day and finding every one-off vendor, I trudged through. The most recent hurdle is dealing with the cost of everything and trying to provide a reasonable price for a guest.” Kelly said.

Kelly is a strong supporter of her community of local businesses and education programs. As a former elementary school teacher, she said she knows what it’s like to struggle to pay for essential supplies for the classroom.

That's why she helps with fundraising with her drink to help teacher pay their student loans, vendor style at schools police for a fallen officer's family and back to the school fundraising.

Not only does Kelly help the community, but she also helps other local business owners by proving discounts and shopping for her supplies.

“I work with a lot of business owners, I work with local bakeries, coffee suppliers, all of those and then I reach out to any small business owners in our area. They will offer my employees a discount and I will offer them a discount,” Kelley said.

Her business is competing with chains cafe like Starbucks, which already has four locations in Avondale alone.

“I think it’s important to have a business like what we bring to the community, it’s about growing our community. Keeping money in the community. We source our products from local vendors, which provides more jobs for a community. The baristas who we hire can run our social websites so that they can gain experience in whatever career field they want. My teacher’s heart works hard to make sure they develop their skills and not stay stuck doing a job that doesn’t help them move on to what they want in their life,” Kelly said.

Unlike corporate entities, local businesses require services that stem from smaller businesses in the community.

Raymond Grim, an agent of American Family Insurance in Surprise, said he sees the work of local restaurants and believes more businesses should work together to support the local economy.

“When you support a locally owned business, the owner provides pay for sponsorship to local sports teams. They support schools and athletic teams. I believe the owners live here, they invest here and they shop here. The money from name brand or a big company, that just goes back up to corporate,” Grim said.

Growing in the region

Susie Timm public relations adviser for the Arizona Restaurant Association and founder and owner of Knife and Fork Media Group, works with independent business owners and provides clients with marketing and public relations services. She and her team work with nearly 50 clients located in both the East and West Valley.

“In 2009, I started a food-focused event company where we hosted an array of events at local restaurants. Through that, I developed a relationship with a lot of local media and when restaurants wanted help doing social media (as it initially launched) and promoting their own in-house events, Knife and Fork Media Group was born,” Timm said.

Knife and Fork has worked with the city of Scottsdale’s event programming for the past seven years and has grown many events like “Scottsdazzle,” which celebrates the spirit of Christmas while hosting local businesses. They have also done PR and marketing for Arizona Restaurant Week for 10 years.
She believes the city of Scottsdale has done a lot to support local businesses in the area and gives the community of owners a chance to create their own businesses.

“The customer demographics and reputation for strong tourism are the two main reasons small businesses thrive in Scottsdale. The city also has a strong economic development program that encourages and assists many businesses to get their start,” Timm said

The West Valley, in her view, is doing fine with the number of independent businesses springing up such as Modern Grind, Saddle Mountain.
It could benefit restaurants to rally more support from the cities and marketing teams so the West Valley wouldn’t be seen as just an area of chains.

“I work with quite a few businesses located in the West Valley as well. However, I think there is a false perception that it is ‘only’ chains and therefore consumers see it that way. I think it falls on the cities in these communities to make a strong effort to start to change these false perceptions and of course, businesses themselves to invest in marketing strategies that draw more eyeballs on their respective businesses. But overall, it has some incredible family-owned restaurants and other businesses,” Timm said.

Frank Espinoza
Reporter | Daily Independent

fespinoza@iniusa.org

Frank Espinoza is a recent graduate of Northern Arizona University from the beginning of 2022. He prides himself on covering topics that give a spotlight to individuals or groups who give back to the community. He has covered local sports, community events, and important issues that impact the state. In his spare time, he loves to watch Street League Skateboarding and hang out at Cowtown Skateboards in Goodyear.