Prescott Family Diner (Flagstaff, Prescott Valley: house, buy, tenant)

[Hschlick84]

Why did this restaurant close off Rodeo and Miller Valley, was it the service, food quality, operating costs, market saturation?

Looks like it was only open for a couple of years. Checked out the menu online from old images back in 2017 off Google, looked decent. What gives?

[infocyde]

Bummer. I ate there a few times before I bailed the area. I loved it because it was actually open late...well for awhile. It might be the spot. There was a steak house there that died before this place went in. The fact that it was there for a few years and you never went Hschlick84 might be telling Not enough people did apparently.

The other recent bummer was that place in Frontier Village, the big Irish Pub place (forget the name) that went belly up about 2017?. Food was pretty decent. I started eating there about a month before they closed. I guess the owner was bitter about it all as he sunk a fortune into the place. I think he was targeting a young hip foodie type clientele that doesn't exist in numbers in the area, at least not enough to support this type of restaurant.

Interestingly both places were away from town square where the tourist are...

[mrshowtime3]

So where are the go to spots then? I hope its not all just bland places like Cracker Barrel because of the age of the population.

I know I like Bills Pizza and Park Plaza. But what is considered the best dinner spot? Also, is there anywhere around with good deep fried, not baked, wings?

[agorski]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Why did this restaurant close off Rodeo and Miller Valley, was it the service, food quality, operating costs, market saturation?

For dinner, it was expensive and terrible.

I love cheap diner food at dinner time, and there's not much to choose from. PV has Sally's and Dewey has Blue Hills Cafe. Meh. Gabby's Grill is OK.

Zeke's was great when they were open for dinner, but now they're only open for breakfast and lunch.

When Augie's first opened I was not a fan. But recently I revisited and was pleasantly surprised by the much better menu at a good price point.

Lot's of other good options but they're much pricier than the one's mentioned above.

[bigdogmom13]

Originally Posted by mrshowtime3

So where are the go to spots then? I hope its not all just bland places like Cracker Barrel because of the age of the population.

I know I like Bills Pizza and Park Plaza. But what is considered the best dinner spot? Also, is there anywhere around with good deep fried, not baked, wings?

Best dinner spot depends on your food preferences and $$ limitations. We like Augies, Gabby's Grill, Prescott Valley Brewing, Lonesome Valley Brewing, Bistro St. Michael, and for Mexican our favorite so far is Guacamaya's. Bill's Grill is very good, too. I have no idea about wings.

[like-2-hike]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Why did this restaurant close off Rodeo and Miller Valley, was it the service, food quality, operating costs, market saturation?

Looks like it was only open for a couple of years. Checked out the menu online from old images back in 2017 off Google, looked decent. What gives?

I would ask why you care, but it doesn't really matter. Since you're relatively new to the area, allow me to give you a brief history. The location has never been successful long-term for any business. In most recent order for that location, its tenancy included:

Prescott Family Diner
Steakhouse
Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet
Furniture Store
???? (may have been something in-between, I don't recall)
Sizzler

Sizzler may have been the original tenant there (it predated my arrival). All of the above have been within the past 15-18 or so years.

You might as well ask why the Mexican restaurant (formerly La Fonda) a few doors down has been vacant for a decade or more. They continue to operate a (apparently successful) location in Flagstaff to this day. Is it that part of town, or do the people of Flagstaff have different expectations/standards, or was it something else?

The only thing I know - I wouldn't start a restaurant or an airline unless I wanted to bust my butt for a number of years only to lose my savings and any hope of a comfortable retirement.

[like-2-hike]

Originally Posted by mrshowtime3

So where are the go to spots then? I hope its not all just bland places like Cracker Barrel because of the age of the population.

I know I like Bills Pizza and Park Plaza. But what is considered the best dinner spot? Also, is there anywhere around with good deep fried, not baked, wings?

As bigdogmom noted, it really depends on what you are looking for. I don't feel Prescott/PV lack in good dining options, but I don't need chains to live on like some people.

For fancy/date night:
Atmesfir
Farm Provisions
Barley Hound
Murphy's
Hassayampa Inn
El Gato Azul
Augie's (maybe?)
(there's a few other options, I don't do date nights or fine dining)

Burgers:
Bill's Grill (I actually don't care for their burgers, but they're popular)
Marino's Mob Burger (see above)
PBC
Farm Provisions
John's Chophouse (maybe - haven't been)
Barley Hound (they're messy)
Biga (good burger, owns John's Chophouse, so...)
Park Plaza Liquor/Deli
Murphy's (maybe at the bar only? - it was good, even if I don't normally like Murphy's)

Pizza:
Depends on what you like (I really like Neapolitan style and Detroit style)
Two Mama's
Bill's Pizza
Rosati's (try the double dough, or the deep dish)
Limoncello (got tired of waiting for them to install an oven, so have never tried it)
Rosa's
Park Plaza Liquor/Deli

Thai:
The two joints in PV are probably the best (Toi's and the one behind Lonesome Valley Brewing)
Chai's Thai (in mall, moving to Frontier Village next month)
Thai House Cafe
Dee's Thai Express

BBQ:
Lucky's (Dewey)
Big Daddy E's (Chino)
Sugar Skull (food truck - look for them downtown - good brisket)
Lucy Dee's (just opened, I've only tried once so don't have a firm opinion)

Plenty of other good/interesting/possibly unique food options here. We tend to lack excellent Asian or Mexican sadly (my opinion only), but have good options for both.

[bigdogmom13]

Good list, like-2-hike!

On the topic of Asian food: The little Thai place in PV (at 89A and Viewpoint) was excellent, although I've only tried one dish there... I don't even want to try the Chinese place in PV... And for my birthday (last week), we went to Fujiyama so I could get my sushi fix. Meh. The miso soup was way too salty and I don't know what kind of soy sauce they buy but it was also overly salty... And I was pouring out of the lower-sodium bottle! The sushi was average. Boyfriend had teriyaki salmon and tempura shrimp and veggies. The salmon was nicely done; the tempura just average.

Mexican has been a very mixed bag. It's very different from where I came from (Colorado, where everything is smothered in green chile, LOL) but we do like both Guacamaya's and Mexico Lindo.

[agorski]

Yes, good list! Not mentioned:

At the high-end, Iron Springs Cafe is my favorite.

For burgers, Brown Bag Burgers.

For pizza, Fresca Cafe has the best NY-style pepperoni pizza in town.

There are actually 9 places for Thai food in the area but I agree that those 2 in PV are the best.

For Mexican, especially if you want red or green chile, I prefer Olivas.

[like-2-hike]

Originally Posted by agorski

Yes, good list! Not mentioned:

At the high-end, Iron Springs Cafe is my favorite.

For burgers, Brown Bag Burgers.

For pizza, Fresca Cafe has the best NY-style pepperoni pizza in town.

There are actually 9 places for Thai food in the area but I agree that those 2 in PV are the best.

For Mexican, especially if you want red or green chile, I prefer Olivas.

My apologies - I forgot Iron Springs and it would be date-night worthy (or at least has interesting/high quality food in an interesting atmosphere). La Bruzza's (directly across the street for those unfamiliar with the area) also deserves mention. My family and friends have always enjoyed going there, even if it can be loud/cramped/long wait.

I'm not a fan of Brown Bag, but I'm glad there are a variety of options for people to enjoy, and the owners seemed very friendly. If they had later hours and homemade fries/fried things, I think I'd be a fan.

I need to try the food at Fresca - it's been a very long time since I've been in there.

9 for Thai? Prescott - Thai House, Dee's, Thaifoon, Tara, Chai's, Chi's (maybe?); PV - Toi's, Thai Cafe. Are you counting the place in Chino? Have you tried it? I never have but checking their menu and food pics now, looks like I should go up there.

I love Olivas, but I figured people like us were in the minority.

Another "burger" joint that I forgot to mention is "This Dude's Food". He used to run the food truck at Lowe's, and after a brief hiatus he and his wife are now operating out of the Rickety Cricket. The food can be a bit "heavy" but it's pretty darn tasty, including their burgers.

Finally, if you are in east or north PV - Sauced Potstickers and the Copper Pit are worth visiting (call first on both to confirm hours before driving out there).