Fozzy’s Bar and Grill, a unique restaurant experience that doles out some pretty impressive promotions, is set to take up residence in Scottsdale’s Sonora Village at 15576 N Pima Rd around November or December of this year, according to founder and CEO Nick Fosberg, who will be opening the restaurant alongside franchisee and local resident Ricky Williams.
The partnership came about when Williams approached Fosberg with the prospect of opening a Fozzy’s – which currently operates locations in Rockford, Illinois and Spring Hill, Tennessee – in the Phoenix market, after seeing how successful the brand has been since its opening in 2019. Needless to say, the move seemed like a logical step for Fosberg, who has connections to the greater Phoenix region.
“One of the big reasons we’re doing it out there is because Ricky approached us,” Fosberg tells What Now Phoenix. “But two;I visit out there two to three times a year, I golf out there, and I have a lot of people from the Rockford market where I’m from that live out there now. So that was another big reason why I said let’s definitely do it.”
Similarly, calling it a “dynamic partnership” between his company RBJ Entertainment – co-founded with Brad Lewis – and Fozzy’s, Williams says that he has “partnered with long-time childhood friend Nick Fosberg to bring to life a Fozzy’s franchise in Scottsdale,”adding, “With Fozzy’s known success and family background this partnership will boom in the Scottsdale metro area!”
From its food and customer service to drinks and atmosphere, Fozzy’s aims to transcend the traditional bar and grill and operates according to the ethos, “Experience it!”
“There are so many bars out there that you go to and, you know, it’s your average Wing Wednesday, Taco Tuesday, and you got the jukebox running, you’re eating your food, and you’re looking at the TV while watching a game – you can get that anywhere,” says Fosberg. “So one of my key focuses is on promotions, like how can people have a much different experience than your average bar.”
To make good on that mission, Fozzy’s hosts a number of unique nights including themed trivia such as Seinfeld or Star Wars, Sing-O Bing-O, and even massive promotions such as a game dubbed Pick the Joker that comes with a prize loot of anywhere between $2,000 to $4,000, trip giveaways to Mexico and Florida, and more.
“That’s kind of what we envisioned with Fozzy’s, was how can we be different besides just the food [and] the drinks,” says Fosberg.
While the food does trend along classic pub grub lines, with burgers, wraps, tacos, wings, and flatbreads, Fosberg keeps its quality in the “upper-scale sports bar” category, with a kitchen that prepares 95% of its menu from scratch.
What’s more, aside from the standard menu, each Fozzy’s also offers a Featured Menu that rotates quarterly, through which a location’s chef can “come up with whatever they want to for that specific location,” explains Fosberg.
