Fox Restaurants To Bring The Yard Concept To Tucson

Successful restaurateur Sam Fox is preparing to break ground in Tucson yet again – this time with a restaurant concept new to the city.

Permits have been filed with the City of Tucson for a new restaurant complex called The Yard at Grant Road at 2543 E. Grant Road. The more than 18,000-square-foot restaurant will be built at the former location of Grant Road Lumber Co., which closed in March after 67 years in business.

The Yard will be paired with another Fox concept, Culinary Dropout. Currently, there are three Culinary Dropout locations in the Phoenix area and one in Las Vegas.

Jeff Hunt, a civil engineer with Cypress Civil Development LLC filed the development package application with the City of Tucson. He said that construction should begin in late spring 2016, and building should be completed in about eight months.

Sam Fox, CEO and founder of Fox Restaurant Concepts, was unavailable for comment. Anita Walker, FRC’s vice president of marketing, said Fox was traveling last week. A voicemail left on Fox’s mobile phone went unreturned.

Wildflower American Cuisine, located at 7037 N. Oracle Road, was Fox’s first concept, which opened in 1998. Other Fox restaurants in Tucson include Blanco Tacos Y Tequila, North Italia and ZinBurger Wine & Burger Bar. Fox opened Sauce Pizza & Wine in 2003 but sold the rights to it about a year ago to the original founder of Ra Sushi.

Fox was recognized as the 2015 University of Arizona Executive of the Year in April 2015. The Paradise Valley resident had studied real estate finance at the University of Arizona before dropping out to open Gilligan’s Bar & Grill in 1992.

Now based in Phoenix, FRC currently has 52 locations and 15 concepts across 11 states, which include Blanco Tacos Y Tequila, True Food Kitchen, The Henry, Flower Child, and North Italia.

For more information regarding Fox Restaurant Concepts, visit foxrc.com.

A clarification to this story appears here.