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Shamrock Foods “Dine4AZ” Campaign Highlights Pioneer Restaurant Growth in Arizona
(Phoenix, AZ) — Shamrock Foods Dine4AZ campaign was recently launched to encourage the public to help stimulate the economy by dining out at one of Arizona’s great restaurants. Arizonans have been taking advantage of the interactive website, Dine4AZ.com, where they can search specific restaurants by zip code, download money saving coupons, and find out more about deals from local restaurants.
According to figures based on National Restaurant Association research and data from federal and state government agencies, almost one in 10 working Americans are restaurant employees and more than one out of four people in this country got their first job in a restaurant. Stephen D. Chucri, President/CEO of the Arizona Restaurant Association concurs: “Arizona has more than a quarter of a million employees in the food service industry, offering everyone from teenagers to the elderly the opportunity for growth and promotion in a unique and fun industry. Dining out and dining often helps to preserve those jobs and create additional opportunities in order that we can grow as a state and as an industry, while providing a tasty service to the community.”
Some of these jobs that are being supported through the campaign have deep seeded roots in Arizona, and further motivate and inspire those struggling through economic downfall. Monti’s La Casa Vieja is the oldest pioneer home in Tempe. Built in 1871, this icon of Arizona history represents a backbone of perseverance and ambition that has permeated over 135 years.
Tempe founder Charles Trumbill Hayden constructed the adobe hacienda that bestowed the name La Casa Vieja, Spanish for “the old house”. It’s the birthplace of Carl Hayden, who the Arizona Republic has named “the most important person in Arizona history.” Leonard F. Monti, Sr., son of an Italian immigrant and 1 of 8 kids, endured a meager upbringing followed by a long haul of diligence. Monti Sr. was a railroad telegraph operator and boxer who served in the Navy during World War II. In 1954, Monti Sr. acquired Casa Vieja by putting a stop to the property being bet on during a card game. Maintaining the cultivation with the name Monti’s La Casa Vieja, Monti Sr. turned part of the landmark into a remarkable steakhouse in 1956. The sweat equity built up marked a milestone in the 1980’s, as Monti’s was named the largest grossing restaurant in the region. Son Michael Monti purchased the business and home in 1997, which provided shelter and income for his whole family.
Today, Monti’s La Casa Vieja is the largest full service restaurant in Arizona and has become the one of a kind benchmark for experiencing pre-statehood Arizona history and top quality All-American food. Owner Michael Monti says this long standing family tradition serves as “an example of how small restaurants can grow and provide for the family by means to better itself.” Monti adds, “I’m in this business by choice, not by necessity.”
Family owned business’ passed down through generations is a solid reminder of restaurants being a strong contributor to the overall economic disposition, whether it is individual or on a larger scale. By dining out at one of Arizona’s exquisite restaurants, you are enriching the new, hard-working restaurateur reaching for success, and the state’s aspiration for an economic upswing. People like Monti Sr. who came from modest means and managed to climb their way up represent a beacon of hope through the dark recession, reminding us that we can all make a difference and achieve a favorable outcome with action and determination.
For more information, please visit www.Dine4AZ.com.
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