Trident Grill turns 25 this August, and the Tucson sports bar and grill plans to mark the milestone with all-day happy hour pricing at all locations throughout the month. The promotion includes a new happy hour food menu and specialty drink menu at Trident Grill and Trident Pizza Pub. Partner Jason Machamer says the anniversary felt worth calling out.
"I feel it's a great accomplishment to have a restaurant for 25 years and just wanted to highlight Trident for their special month," Machamer said.
From Navy SEAL training grounds to Speedway Boulevard
Nelson Miller opened the original Trident Grill at 2033 E. Speedway Blvd. in August 2001. At the time, Miller was an active-duty Navy SEAL stationed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, who visited Tucson regularly for Military Freefall training. He named the restaurant after the Naval Special Warfare insignia worn by all SEALs, nicknamed the Trident.
Miller's vision came from years of traveling domestically and internationally as a SEAL. He loved sports bars but grew frustrated with the food.
"I never understood why you couldn't find better food while watching a game or hanging with friends," he said. "Everything was deep fried, and not great."
He saw an opportunity in 2001 and took it, but the timing brought immediate challenges. Trident Grill opened in August 2001, and the Sept. 11 attacks followed weeks later. Miller's Tucson training trips stopped until he retired from the Navy in 2005 and moved to Tucson full time.
"Opening a restaurant while having no background in it and living on the east coast is not a recipe for success," he said. "Learning curve was steep."
Growth, partners, and expansion
Miller describes hiring Machamer and third partner Danny Gallego as the turning point for the business.
"Hiring two actual restaurant geniuses, Jason and Danny, they got Trident headed in the right direction in no time," Miller said.
That partnership allowed Trident to open its second location in 2016 and launch Trident Pizza Pub, a brick-oven pizza concept, at 446 N. Campbell Ave. in the former Grimaldi's Pizzeria space.
Machamer is an Art Institute of Phoenix culinary graduate and Tucson native who began his career at Ray's Pizzeria before working his way through several Tucson restaurant kitchens. He has been with Trident for 15 years.
Trident has operated as many as four grill locations at once. Trident Grill III on South Craycroft Road closed in September 2023 after opening in 2017. Active locations today include the original Speedway location, Trident Grill II on Swan Road, and Trident Pizza Pub on Campbell Avenue.
Surviving the hard years
Miller says there were moments when closing would have been the practical choice. He declined to take that route.
"Not good at failing," he said. "There was a significant period that closing would certainly have been the prudent decision, but we persevered."
He points to the COVID-19 pandemic as the hardest stretch in the restaurant's 25-year history. Through it all, Miller credits the Tucson community for keeping Trident standing. "Nothing but love for Tucson and the support Trident has consistently received from its residents," he said.
What the 25th anniversary means to Miller
Miller says the milestone ultimately comes back to the people he has met through the restaurant.
"The people I have met because of Trident, all walks of life, all bringing something to the table of this remarkable life," he said. "That's what I'm most proud of."
On what he wants customers to remember: "All treated with respect. Great food and drink. With exceptional staff."
As for what comes next, Miller says the team will keep listening.
"We always have ear to ground and ready to explore possible expansion," he said. "But it is not a driving force. We are blessed and appreciative of right where we are."
All-day happy hour runs throughout August at all Trident Grill and Trident Pizza Pub locations. For more on Trident Grill, see the Tucson Foodie Nine on the Line feature with Jason Machamer and the Trident Pizza Pub opening on Campbell Avenue.
For more information, visit tridentgrill.com.
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