When Donny Phillippi and Jason Bell took over JJ Madison’s All American Grill in Mesa two years ago, they changed the menu. That didn’t go over well with customers.
“When we tried to change the menu, the people from the Midwest weren’t having it,” said Phillippi. “We have a ton of Canadians and people from North Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota.”
JJ Madison’s owners are Jason Bell, left, and Donny Phillippi.
Customers were accustomed to the home-cooked, made-from-scratch items the original owners offered when they started the restaurant over 20 years ago at 420 N. Power Road..
Phillippi and Bell saw the light and returned those favorites.
“Everything’s homemade – like the meatloaf and short ribs,” Phillippi said. “The biggest thing we have that is from the Midwest is broaster chicken. It’s an actual brand of chicken, and we have to buy specific marinades, seasonings and flours to use that name. People from the Midwest – specifically Wisconsin – come from all over just for that chicken.”
Wisconsin schnitzel and Minnesota walleye are also popular.
“Once all the snowbirds come in, we probably go through 200 pounds of cod a week,” explained Phillippi. “We even serve liver. We sell a ton of it. We were going to take it off the menu and customers did not like that at all. They love liver stew.”
The business partners also own the Crown Public House sports bar in downtown Phoenix, across the street from the Diamondbacks baseball stadium, which they opened about 10 years ago.
“We tried to bring the same menu over to JJ’s but it didn’t work,” explained Phillippi. “Everything at JJ’s is from scratch. It’s stuff like your mom would have made back in the day.”
Before that, they owned a British pub in downtown Phoenix for 11 years.
The two met years ago, working for corporate restaurants, and decided to go out on their own.
“JJ Madison’s fell into our lap,” Phillippi said. “We had a friend who got a cold call that the person who started JJ Madison’s was selling it. A buddy of ours wanted to buy it. He was looking at loans and he called me to write the business plan for it. He purchased the business.
“That friend then went through a divorce and asked if Jason and I were interested in taking it over.”
Phillippi’s family comes from Minnesota, so he said JJ Madison’s has a Midwest feel to it – with a lot of TVs.
“The vibe is relaxed with the people who come in here. It’s like hanging out with your family. It’s pretty cool.
“I was super thrilled to have it fall on our lap because it reminds me of where my mom grew up,” said Phillippi, who began working in the restaurant business at age 14.
“Nowadays, the food industry is pretty crazy,” he said. “Anything you want to buy or sell or have on your menu, you can buy already made. A lot of it could be almost better. They’ve mastered a lot of stuff that you can purchase that’s ready to roll.”
But due to customer demand, JJ Madison’s is sticking to homemade menu items, which Phillippi said is rare these days.
“People know when it’s homemade. There’s a ton of prep compared to our other restaurant.”
JJ Madison’s also has weekly events such as bingo.
“Customers love bingo. Tuesday night is one of our busiest nights. It’s pretty crazy. We’ll get, in season, probably 120-130 people. We have Trivia on Wednesday nights, karaoke on Friday nights and NFL Bingo on Thursday nights. We try to do something every day.”
The restaurant also does one big event a month. “For example, in November, we do a chili cook-off. In December, we do a huge Christmas party where we invite guests to come in and we do prizes and a costume contest,” Phillippi said.
“We also have off-track betting, which is pretty cool, which we don’t have at our other bar. We do a lot of horse-related stuff, such as Kentucky Derby parties.”
Phillippi said the pandemic made everyone go back to the basics.
“During the pandemic, one of us would cook, and the other one would be out front bartending,” said Phillippi. “You have to go back to your roots. I enjoy it. A lot of people get into this business and they get burnt out and frustrated. I get paid to talk to people and make people have a good time. I love it.”
The business partners are looking to buy a bar in Pinetop from friends who plan to retire soon. And they plan to open at least one more Crown Public House in the East Valley.
Information: jjmadisonsaz.com, 480-924-8778.
