Dirtbags, the iconic Tucson bar that has been a part of growing up generations of UA students for more than four decades, is expanding its reach to Phoenix.
Dirtbags Phoenix is expected to open in August in the upscale Arcadia neighborhood, straddling north Phoenix and Scottsdale. It will replace the two-year-old The Spot bar and grill, located at 4801 E. Indian School Road.
“I’m very, very excited about this,” said Scott Hibler, who bought the brand from longtime Dirtbags owner Gary Welch. “We’re Wildcat fans.”
While the original Dirtbags located at 1800 E. Speedway, a mile from the heart of the University of Arizona campus, caters primarily to students, the Phoenix outpost will focus on alumni living in the area.
Welch, who grew up in Tucson and bought Dirtbags in 1988, said Hibler approached him in December about the idea of franchising the brand in Phoenix, but it wasn't until May that discussions turned into action.
People also read…
The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
“We built that base with alumni and the number of alumni that are in the Phoenix area,” Welch said. “We’re seeing the second generation coming to where Mom and Dad went to college. I have a kid here whose mom worked here about 20 years ago when she went to UA.”
Welch said UA alumni living in the Phoenix area often return for football or basketball games and have long asked him to bring the brand to the Valley. Hibler said he’s heard similar requests from customers at The Spot and its longtime predecessor, Arcadia Tavern, which he opened in 2000 and ran until 2020.
UA sports were often shown on the screens at the Arcadia Tavern, the neighborhood's first true sports bar and grill.
What bigger brand could we bring to Phoenix than Dirtbags? The UA market in Phoenix is very brand-driven, said Hibler, who recalled his first time at Dirtbags in 2001 after attending a UA-ASU football game.
I never forgot it and I never forgot the name, he said.
Although Dirtbags Phoenix looks nothing like the original from the outside, once you walk through the front door, nostalgia for the original will hit you, Hibler said, Wildcats memorabilia and sports at TV with AU-themed license plates. across the country bordering the walls.
You'll be able to chase down your famous half-pound Dirtburger with a Cocaine Shooter, a 1980s-era shot of vodka, raspberry liqueur and grapefruit juice, or the triple-layered shot dubbed the Mind Eraser that you suck through a straw. Hibler said they'll be adding a few items to the menu, but the Phoenix location will replicate the majority of the salads, sandwiches and munchies that were long a staple of the original Dirtbags.
But there's one thing he doesn't joke about, Hibler said, and that's atmosphere.
We're going to be Dirtbags. We're going to have the Dirtbags vibe, the Dirtbags food, he said.
When Hibler broke the news about Dirtbags Phoenix on Instagram (instagram.com/Dirtbags_phoenix) Two weeks ago, dozens of UA alumni commented. Poster blondie_pitt predicted that it's going to be scary while queenb330709 asked if it was too early to make reservations for opening day.
I hope it's as run down as the Tucson location (sic), wrote poster tylerxdunham, who misspelled Tucson in his post.
“The excitement level is through the roof,” Hibler said. “People from all over the country have reached out to us through Instagram and social media and are excited about this initiative.”
We couldn't be more excited, he added. I knew it was going to be special. The excitement level is beyond what I expected.
Welch, a Flowing Wells High graduate who managed a local McDonald's franchise for 15 years before buying the bar, said the Arcadia franchise is the first of what could be two or three Dirtbags locations in the Phoenix area.
Welch purchased Dirtbags six years after two friends from Chicago opened the bar and named it after one of their fraternities, according to historical documents. Given its proximity to the UA campus, it quickly became a legendary hangout for students who considered the bar, as its slogan suggested, a part of their childhood.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at [email protected]. On Twitter @Starburch
