Food & Beverage
20 25
Fork in the road Experts share forces shaping city’s dining scene, and how it could change BY MONICA D. SPENCER
“Be patient, [sit- down restaurants are] coming. You want the quality to be there, and you don’t want them to be a flash in the pan, no pun intended, where they come in and then close because they were unsuccessful.” STEVE CHUCRI, ARA CEO
IF THERE’S ANYTHING to know about Arizona’s restaurant economy, it’s this: Restaurants are the state’s third-largest employer. They generate billions of dollars in revenue. The restaurant economy, at the conclusion of 2025, “will post sales of just over $23 billion. That’s billion with a B,” predicted Arizona Restaurant Association CEO Steve Chucri in an interview with InMaricopa . For context, legislators approved $17 billion for the entire Arizona state budget. As head of the ARA, Chucri is the authority on the state’s restaurant economy. The association has been around for 86 years, watching restaurants in every category come and go — far longer than most of us. For him, serving in this role is both a passion and a privilege. “Restaurants touch people’s lives each and every day. We’re the cornerstone of the community, we’re that mainstay that people always have some kind of commonality with,” he said. hold that role, he said: “Food is the biggest and greatest negotiating tool, it’s an equalizer. I’ve never met a person in Asked why restaurants
Paula Kitzmiller
Fast food in Maricopa is at the
most mediocre. There’s nothing unique about it and it usually tastes horrible. POLL ABOUT FAVORITE FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS IN THE CITY.
Why fast food leads the way The most common complaint about
Arizona Restaurant Association CEO Steve Chucri
restaurant industry, and also with Kelly Anderson, who follows the city’s business landscape at the local level, to better understand where Maricopa’s dining economy may be headed.
industry in Arizona — and in Pinal County and Maricopa — is promising. “It’s an employment hub and it’s constantly growing,” he said. That’s why we spoke with Chucri, the state’s leading voice on the
my 24 years running this association that has said to me, ‘I hate going out to a restaurant, I hate dining out,’” he said. That, combined with the state’s still- high growth rate, is why he says the restaurant
Maricopa’s restaurant economy? Fast food. “If I had a nickel for every time I heard a community wanting more sit-down restaurants, I probably wouldn’t be in this job. I would be retired,” Chucri said.
InMaricopa.com | September 2025
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