TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The restaurateur behind Zinburger and Wildflower is bringing a new, health food restaurant to Tucson.
KGUN 9 On Your Side's Pat Parris spoke with Fox about his growing brand and where it all began.
"It's my go-to meal place where I go to like three days a week, lunch and dinner," a strong personal endorsement of Flower Child by Sam Fox himself.
The Tucson restauranteur, now headquartered in Phoenix, operates 12 different brands in 13 states and the District of Columbia.
One of his most successful brands is opening on April 4 here in Tucson.
Flower Child bills itself as "healthy food for a happy world."
"I can eat healthy most of the time," Fox said. "If I want a little indulgence I can get a little indulgence. Even that indulgence is healthy as well."
This new location at Campbell and Glenn is the 31st Flower Child nationwide for Fox.
They are offering very competitive wages, with servers earning up to $25 an hour.
"You know we run busy, high-demanding restaurants," Fox said. "With that, you know we want to well compensate the people that work for us."
In a statement earlier this week, Fox released a statement saying: “Opening a restaurant is a show of love for the city and for the people who will eat there. Bringing Flower Child to Tucson – to all my friends, family, and the incredible community who has supported us since the beginning – is immensely special. I‘m looking forward to serving our Tucson friends Flower Child.”
The restaurant is staging a contest that will give customers who download the app and place an order during opening week to win a $1,000 app credit.
In about six weeks, look for another of Sam Fox's popular restaurants to open right next door to Flower Child.
Doughbird will offer pizza and rotisserie chicken.
By some estimates, Fox Restaurant Concepts has annual revenues of nearly $270-million dollars.
While Fox is busy managing all of his restaurants, he's also putting the finishing touches on his Global Ambassador Hotel in Phoenix.
He tells me the 141 room boutique hotel will open in mid-November, with five unique restaurants, as well as a spa and... "One of the best views of an amazing rooftop here in Arizona," according to Fox.
Some friends are helping Sam Fox with the cost of building the $300 million Global Ambassador Hotel including Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, former Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald, and country music star Dierks Bentley.
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
