17 Feb 2nd–Feb 8th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | restaurateur says he was not prepared for how much attention the Park West Hash Kitchen generated. “This one took us by storm. After Mother’s Day, it’s usually slow, but this one roars. It’s a brunch party every day,” Maggiore says. “I think more people are thinking, ‘Why drive to Scottsdale when we have a beautiful community of our own?’ There’s an understanding of the difference between local restaurant groups and chains.” John Corritore is the president of Scottsdale-based The Corritore Co., a real estate consulting firm that handles small niche and upscale properties, such as Kierland Commons, Scottsdale Waterfront, and Dana Park. He sends a photo of the Park West Hash Kitchen patio at noon on a summer day packed with customers to prospective commercial real estate clients he’s trying to lure to the West Valley. “I send it to let them know, this could be you,” Corritore says. Five years ago, Corritore’s group started working with Park West when it was loaded with vacancies. He sought out places with a following, such as Hash Kitchen and The Sicilian Butcher. He called them “huge game changers” for others in the retail center. The top six Park West restaurants each generate approximately $1,000 per square foot, Corritore says. Nationally, a full- service restaurant breaks even at $150 to $250 per square foot, according to Rewards Network, a company that helps local restaurants grow their business through loyalty marketing and financing services. “What you have here is tremendous population density with very little compe- tition,” he says. “And with the other restau- rants, it gives everyone comfort in knowing they’re not exploring new territory alone.” Build It, and They Will Come Restaurateur Joey Lucidi was one of the early risk-takers to venture west. He opened his first Haymaker in Peoria in 2013. The breakfast and lunch spot serves creative Benedicts and juicy burgers with fun toppings, such as green chiles and bourbon barbecue sauce. Lucidi’s parents owned independent restaurants in San Diego, so he grew up in a culture where the mom-and-pop eatery was the hub of the town, a gathering spot filled with community camaraderie. When he moved to the West Valley in 2006, he had to drive east to find that culture. Lucidi realized if he wanted it to exist on his side of town, he’d have to build it. “When I opened the first one, I did not plan to open multiple locations. I was not thinking of changing the West Valley. I opened it solely because the area needed it,” Lucidi says. His hunch was right, and that first Haymaker was successful. Over the next few years under his Westside Concepts restaurant group, Lucidi opened a few more Haymakers and other concepts with a focus on upscale renditions of comfort and bar food. Today, Westside Concepts owns three Haymakers, two Cantina Gueros, Northwest Coffee, and an event center and catering company, all located in Peoria and Goodyear. He’s also sold a few of his concepts to other local entrepreneurs. Lucidi, who lives in Peoria, welcomes the fresh wave of new restaurants. Continuing to improve, being willing to adapt, and not resting on his laurels is how he’s operated for a decade, he says. If the few longtime solo restaurants want to survive, Lucidi says they’ll have to do the same. The competition will push existing restaurants to be better, and therefore the overall quality of life on his side of town will rise, he adds. “It’s why we haven’t gone to the East Valley. We could’ve doubled the number of our restaurants, but I think it would’ve hindered our dream of bettering the West Valley. If we push ourselves, we can make a bigger change here,” Lucidi says. ‘Why Aren’t We Out Here?’ The much-anticipated 2024 opening of Postino’s first West Valley location will mark Common Bond Development Group’s first foray into this part of the metro area. Postino — with the future location at 83rd Avenue and Bell Road, adjacent to the Peoria Sports Complex — is slated to be one of three full-service restaurants with a similar following. Brian Frakes, Common Bond’s owner, is not a rookie when it comes to breaking new ground. He was instrumental in the development of the Heritage District in downtown Gilbert, bringing Zinburger, Postino, and Culinary Dropout at the Yard to a city that hadn’t experienced that kind of presence before. It inspired him to consider possibilities on the opposite corner of the Valley — and Hash Kitchen owner Joey Maggiore stands in front of the bloody mary bar that made his restaurant famous in his newest location in Peoria. West from p 15 >> p 18 Hash Kitchen
