Q&A with Welcome Diner Owner Sloane McFarland on Reopening in Tucson

After four years closed, Welcome Diner plans to reopen their Tucson location at 902 E. Broadway Blvd.

Rio Nuevo board chairman Fletcher McCusker shared a proposal to Rio Nuevo from Ridgehouse Companies and Welcome Diner which shows plans for a Sunshine Mile mixed use development, including Welcome Diner. Votes on approving funding will occur in an upcoming meeting on May 27.

“We’re committed to improving how we communicate and engage on significant deals,” McCusker said. “Starting immediately, we’re building in a two week vetting period for high-impact projects. Rio Nuevo’s mission is to serve Tucson, and that means listening and evolving as the city grows.”

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Welcome Diner owner Sloane MacFarland responded in an email with additional details surrounding the reopening.

What ultimately led to the closure of the Tucson Welcome Diner, and what factors influenced that decision?

We closed during COVID. Usual reasons everyone was dealing with at that time. We had tried all kinds of approaches to an operating model, and I don’t recall the details of it – we were opening and closing all the time, changing hours and offerings, etc., at one point we starting making food for the community to pick up at no charge – but one day we just decided to wait out the COVID situation. 

What inspired you to revisit and revive the Tucson Welcome Diner after four years of vacancy?

We never intended to be closed this long. So we have kept the space just as we left it as it was even to this day. We thought we would be open right after COVID, however, by that point the property next to us was in the shoot for a huge construction project, and we were thinking about all the updates and improvements we wanted to make in conjunction with that.0 So we decided to join that construction timeline, however that was delayed, so our improvements became delayed as well. It has been kind of a long winding road but starting to feel like we are seeing the solution in front of us.

Can you share details about the current redevelopment plans for the space? Will the layout, concept, or menu change?

It is too preliminary to share information on that, just because we are not fully there. We do envision the same type of concept and use in the main space, however with an addition of a big nice patio in the front. For the back room, we always wanted to develop a sort of independent concept with its own patio in the back. We’ll be able to do that and much more. We want to both hone in on what we’ve done in the past, however, really be open to new inspiration, dig deeper into culinary and purveyor directions, listen to location as always. We’ll be consistent, but also new and open, and also willing to take some risks if we really believe in doing so.

How has your vision for the Tucson location evolved since 2021?

A lot! I feel like there have been 3 or 4 cycles already. Feel inspired by a sense of people and projects digging in deeper and smoothing the stone if you will. I feel like there are so many flags flying in spots all over town.  It is really inspiring and feels very positive to me.

What role did Rio Nuevo’s support play in moving this project forward?

Huge role. Can’t say enough. Welcome had a major opportunity to join up with the Sunshine Mile moving into its next phase of life. I saw on the ground level, and from the beginning, how much of a leader Rio Nuevo is in efforts like that, like they have been in downtown and the Rio Nuevo-Mercado area, for example. Those efforts are just now starting to bear mature fruit – fruit that will just get better and more numerous for many years to come. Creating all kinds of opportunity for local start-up business, to bigger businesses, that assist in building out the eco-system. It is terribly difficult to get that sort of boulder into momentum and Rio Nuevo, from my perspective, has been at the center of that. And that is going back to my high school days 25 years ago, visiting downtown, checking things out, etc. There are obviously a ton of other groups from the beginning; neighborhood associations, long time businesses, the city, historical and commercial associations, too, of course. But Rio Nuevo has had the full package to really embody the Tucson ethos, have a business model to engage it, and consistently over time work with all of the various stakeholders and find the opportunities. They have taken risks and have a great batting average, are always evolving and willing to listen to what’s going on, adjust, and get even better.

Will the new Welcome Diner continue with the same food and beverage philosophy as before, or are you taking it in a new direction?

Both. We think what we did in the past still has a role to play, however the proportions of it adjusted. We are taking the approach just be open to today and conscious of the past, to take a deep breath, and say anything is possible. It is a new day and new inspiration. I think what we put in place was on pitch for 2016-2018. We aren’t interested necessarily with just setting that day back up. There are some folks on the team that I am super excited to see how they are reacting to the opportunity – how they have matured and what the vibes are. Also really want to just listen to what is going on in general, go through a creative phase of seeing what is new and interesting, what other people are thinking and finding of value, and what it is that we can do to be of the best service to the community. Also, I think Sunshine Mile is starting to show some new character of where it is going and I am excited to take that in. 

What’s the timeline for reopening, and what are the major milestones along the way?

There has always been the possibility we just on the flick of a switch open up again; however we have really have consistently felt like coming back on board when the improvements around us are sound has made the most sense.  That is such a great opportunity! I didn’t want to see the disruption that would cause our guests. We have considered like a pop-up approach just to activate the space and to get back to sharing it with the community. Whenever we have spent some time getting that into motion some of the realities of doing so just didn’t line up to pull the trigger. So we are not ready to share dates yet, however, depends on some factors getting worked out now; we have kept our options open to reopen when fully improved, or on an interim basis with a pop up. We are in a preliminary stage with the City getting all of our ducks in a row, and our hearing with Rio Nuevo is part of that process, so we will just keep going down that path!

Welcome Diner is located at 902 E. Broadway Blvd. Keep up with Welcome Diner Tucson on Instagram.