Native New Yorker Looks Outside Az

(Saturday, March 24, 2007) - A Gilbert-based restaurant chain is expanding outside of Arizona.

Native New Yorker this year expects to start opening restaurants in New Mexico. Four eateries in Albuquerque and one in Rio Rancho are planned, said Mario Altiery, president of Upside Group, a franchise consulting firm working with the company.

Native New Yorker has approved franchise locations in El Paso, Texas. It expects to finalize approval with franchise owners in Indiana this week, and is working through details with Los Angeles-area franchise owners, Altiery said. advertisement




There are more than 40 Native New Yorker restaurants in development.

"The family decided it was a good idea at this time," company founder Floyd Anderson said. "We'll probably open about 10 a year and see how far we go. We've been just working on the bugs, getting them all out of the way, before going national."

The privately held company has had its corporate headquarters in Gilbert for about a year and a half. Twelve people work in the company offices.

Four company-owned restaurants each have about 50 employees, said Sherri Lind, the company's vice president of franchise services.

Native New Yorker has 17 Valley restaurants, including one in Gilbert that opened in 2004. The eateries combine casual dining restaurants with sports bars.

"It just seemed that there is a demand out there for our type of concept," Lind said.

The company does not publicly disclose its sales figures, Altiery said. They are provided to prospective franchise owners, he said.

Native New Yorker's longest-running restaurant is at Broadway Road and Dorsey Lane in Tempe. That restaurant opened in the early 1980s.

Anderson moved to Arizona from Buffalo in 1978 with his wife, Judy, and their four daughters.

He said Judy had always wanted to own a restaurant.

In 1978, the Andersons purchased an eatery then called LaMonica's at Baseline Road and McClintock Drive in Tempe and later renamed it Native New Yorker and moved it to Broadway and Dorsey. In 1992, the company started franchising.

"I think they were always positioned to do very well," Altiery said.

View all Native New Yorker Press Releases

This article has been read 190 times.

Printer Friendly