French fries and slushies for breakfast? Why not.
A crowd began to line up early Thursday morning for the grand opening of the new Eegee’s restaurant in Gilbert. Gilbert resident Tyson Theabold started the queue at 6:05 a.m., and at 9:30 a.m., about 250 guests were waiting to order Eegee’s signature frozen drinks and other dishes.
Splashes of color livened up the restaurant: bright yellow stands and highlights in mint green and watermelon pink. A DJ put on a specially curated playlist while the guests indulged in bacon ranch fries, roasted subs and of course Eegees, the drink of the same name. There was a watermelon Eegee on almost every table.
Phoenix artist Timmy Ham designed stickers for the big event and the first 100 guests got black T-shirts with his bright design on the front. Customers could buy Eegee’s swag like shirts and koozies from a pop-up booth.
At 4 p.m. there were 60 cars in the drive-through and the restaurant was filled to capacity.
“We thought it would be a grand opening, but I think it’s even bigger than we thought,” said Ron Petty, CEO of Eegee.
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How Eegee started in Tucson
In 1971 in Tucson, high school friends Edmund Irving and Robert Greenberg were selling a frosty lemon drink out of a van. The two combined their names and coined their drink as “EG”.
Soon after, the van pop-up evolved into a restaurant – fries and subs were added to the menu. There are now 28 Eegee locations spread across Tucson, Casa Grande, and Metro Phoenix. Twelve restaurants are to be opened in the valley by the end of 2022.
Gilbert Eegee’s isn’t the first on Metro Phoenix. The company opened several Valley locations in the 1980s, but with only 10 restaurants in Tucson at the time, spreading the north was a challenge. Phoenix metro restaurants closed within five years, Petty said.
Now, with 26 locations in Tucson, the company sees room for growth.
“Imagine there are so many stores in Tucson and there are a million people there,” Petty said. “There are five million people here, so we can open a lot of stores in Phoenix and not go anywhere for a long time.”
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Eegee’s is a family tradition
Phoenix-based Jody Pelczarski was second in line on Thursday. She remembers her first Eegee. She was only 2 years old and the classic drink has been traveling with the Tucson native ever since. It was the treat she got for her behavior in the car, and when she turned 21 it was her base for Piña Colada margaritas. Now she gives Eegees to her kids while driving home after baseball games.
“It becomes a conversation and the car becomes a dining table, and while we split up the Eegees, I always evoke a memory,” said Pelczarski.
Amber Brown stood in line with her 9 month old daughter Bethany. Amber’s favorite Eegee memory was going to Tucson and having a frosty drink with her grandma and mother. On Thursday she gave Bethany her first bite.
“She loves this,” said Brown, dipping another spoon into her baby’s mouth. “That has become a tradition.”
Tyler Ward moved to Phoenix from Tucson more than five years ago, but when he saw the vacancies at Gilbert Restaurant, he knew he had to work there. Ward said he felt part of the Eegee family from the start and that brings back memories.
“After a soccer game, my mom gave me a whole lot of fun just because I got a touchdown,” said Ward. “There was a smile here from the start, and we don’t even worry today. We just do the orders while we have fun. We vibrate. “
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How the Gilbert Eegee came about
Preparations for the grand opening took five years.
Eegee started hosting events in the Phoenix area three years ago, said Callie Farris, Eegee training manager. From pop-ups at farmers’ markets to a new social media campaign to distributing samples at a concert in downtown Phoenix, the team found ways to introduce the Tucson classic to Valley residents.
“We didn’t want to just count on, ‘Well, you’ve been to Tucson once in your life and you’ve probably heard of us,'” Farris said. “We really focused on integrating and going into the Phoenix community.” They went.”
The company brought original recipes and the original mascot – Captain Eegees – with them before Gilbert opened. This year the company reintroduced one of the original Eegee flavors – orange – to the menu. It also reverted to its original ’70s bread recipe, Farris said.
“We looked at what people were really interested in our brand over the past 50 years and started breaking down those layers to get back to the basics and core of who we really were,” said Farris.
“Moments of Sweetness”
New York-born Patrice McMorrow was at Eegee for the first time on Thursday. She moved to Phoenix less than a year ago. At the urging of her son and daughter-in-law – both transplanted to Phoenix – she stood in line for an hour to try her first watermelon eegee.
“It’s really, really good,” said McMorrow. “When you’re retired, you have time for these experimental trips. And it was worth it.”
Moments like these are what Eegee hopes for their customers – “Moments of sweetness,” Farris said.
“When you go to Eegee, you can take it easy and relax and create those memories,” Farris said. “Now Phoenicians will know what it is like to show up to pool parties with a fun pack and be told ‘You’re the man’ or bring them to school events. Moments like these will change the community.” , and we want to support Phoenix every step of the way. “
What’s on the Eegee menu
Gilbert Restaurant serves a range of classics, including Eegee’s Bacon Ranch Fries. If you want a ham or turkey sub with a little spice, order it mill-style – with Italian dressing, hot peppers, spices, onions, and pickles. Here are more menu items:
- Chipotle Ranch fries: Crinkle-cut fries with chipotle ranch dressing and pieces of bacon.
- Original grinder: Ham, salami, provolone, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, spices, peperoncini and Eegee’s House Dressing on white, wheat or rye bread.
- Southwest Ranch Salad: Crispy chicken, lettuce, red bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, corn, wonton and grated cheese with chipotle ranch dressing.
Details: Daily 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (passage open until 10:00 p.m.). 3535 E. Grundlinienstraße, Gilbert. 480-885-0183, https://eegees.com/phoenix.
Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @ sofia.krusmark.
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