Well, That’s a First

I have to acknowledge that—for the first time ever—I made it through the entrance of Goodyear Civic Square (“GSQ”) without derbying over the curbs! This is a very big deal for me, since I usually put on quite an embarrassing show for the patrons dining on the patio at The Stillery. I can’t be the only one who finds navigating those nearly invisible curbs difficult, can I?! If so, I blame it on my SUV.

Tap, Tap, Tap

I’ve been tangled up about what to write about all week. I have several stories percolating, but for one reason or another, the stars aren’t aligning. As I’ve written before, I rely on spiritual direction to guide me to whom and what I should write about and when that doesn’t come easily, I get a little anxious, you know “looming deadline” and all.

Enter Spitz in Goodyear. Over the last week, every time I’d try to start formulating the start of one of the feature stories on “my” list, I’d get a nudge directing me to Spitz. By the time Wednesday rolled around, I decided to listen. Which is how I came to be writing this on publication day at 10:30 am, a mere few hours to publication time. 😅 

The Best Plans

I arrived at GSQ with a plan (like I always do): Grab my dinner “to-go,” and then find an outside table around the lawn at GSQ, near enough to The Stillery so I could enjoy the live music from afar. I parked near the lawn, scoped out where I planned to sit, and marched on over to Spitz, where I quickly learned (yet again) that the best plans…

Are Not My Plans

As I approached the building, I was already sensing that this was going to be different than what I was expecting. I took one step in the doorway, and my plan disintegrated. I knew I was staying and I knew I was going to be eating INSIDE (even though they have a lovely patio with a beautiful mural & misters!). This entire time, I’m half laughing and half-baffled by this—it is rare, to the point of almost never—that I “dine-in” at a “fast-casual” restaurant.

Fast Casual

“Fast casual” is not a term I had known before my visit to Spitz. A fast casual restaurant is typically defined as a hybrid between fast food and full-service dining. Customers place an order at the counter, and then the food is brought to the table. The fountain drinks are self-served.

Another benefit of the fast casual, concept is quick delivery of your meal. According to the owner, Jaskarn (“Jas”) Singh (more on him below), even if you have to wait in line to order, the expectation is that the time from ordering to receiving your food is shorter than it would be at a sit-down restaurant.

The food and décor is also more upscale than a typical fast food restaurant.

Spitz has this concept dialed in on every level!!!

The Vibe

The Spitz vibe is immediately enveloping; it grabs you as soon as you step over the threshold at the door. The artwork, the music, the color, the vibrancy, the lighting… There’s so much to look at and take in, but it’s also not overwhelming or in-your-face or trying-too-hard.

It feels tangibly authentic. And very soulful. This also just isn’t another “franchise” —which I now realize is what I was expecting—also more on that later. There’s a great deal of intentionality behind what’s being done here. It’s soooo alive and it feels SO GOOD!

There’s also a beautiful bar area, where I can imagine myself sitting while Mr. Buzz enjoys a beer on tap. I also have my eye on their adult-beverage slushie machine. I bet that hits the spot when it’s 100 degrees outside.

The Music

The playlist is what makes this place! The music is as fresh as the food. Luckily, I found there’s a “Spitz Playlist” on Spotify and you betcha I’m listening to it right now!

The Food

Of course I already checked out the menu online before, but I did sit down and look at it again when I got there to be sure I didn’t miss anything. I still ended up ordering what I initially intended and that was the “Remix Bowl with Falafel.” Falafel is the vegetarian protein option and is made with garbanzo beans and seasoned with garlic, parsley and other spices.

Given my food sensitivities, I really appreciate a restaurant that offers so many gluten-free options. Plus, they have a variety of sauces and they loaded me up with all of them to try. Once I added the sauces to my bowl, it looked very different than the picture above and became a mish-mash of sauce heaven, just the way I like it! I find that Falafel in general tend to be a little on the dry side, so the additional sauce fixes that! My favorite sauces: Tzatziki (mild cucumber-yogurt sauce with fresh dill) and Zhuog (a hot sauce made with green serrano chilis, herbs & spices).

Jas told me that the Falafel are made to order, meaning they’re fried when the order is placed. I also would have never guessed these were fried unless I had read that on the menu earlier. Apparently, they are only flash-fried, so they are not greasy at all!

The Owner

I was hoping the fella I spotted working at the bar was the owner and I was right, it was Jaskarn (“Jas”) Singh and he is gracious to step away from whatever he was doing to answer all my questions and get me started on the sauces!

I am always most curious to learn how a restaurant was born, and Jas tells me that found the Spitz franchise opportunity after he left his corporate job.¹  

I really enjoyed my conversation with Jas and love his philosophy which he told me as we talked about leaving corporate jobs and the allure of a steady paycheck:

Even more inspiring, Jas had no prior restaurant experience but was looking for a challenge and, after meeting with the franchise owner, found the Spitz opportunity to be exactly what he was looking for.

Jas went on to say that the Spitz franchise opportunity is “owner-centric,” which means that the model allows the input of the franchisee (the owner) rather than insisting solely that the “corporate brand” be followed. And, that’s the difference that you can see and feel here in the elements of the design.

This is no ordinary franchise: The “rock climber” mural on the wall is an ode to his daughter (a competitive rock climber). Also, there wasn’t supposed to be a mural on the outside patio wall, but when the concept was proposed to the landlord and the City of Goodyear, they loved it! How could they not? It’s all about Goodyear and it’s so beautiful!

Thank You Goodyear!

I can’t close this out without mentioning how much I love Goodyear Civic Square (“GSQ”). After I left Spitz, I went and lingered on the lawn—on real lush, green grass!—under the stars and enjoyed a beautiful, breezy 88 degree evening. I sat there in awe of the lighting, the sculptures, the birds chirping in the trees, even the buildings—everything so clean & beautiful and so well designed!

There is still an incredible amount of building happening over there and new restaurants and shops opening often—can’t wait, I’ll be there!!! It’s hard to believe this was just all a giant lot of dirt when I first moved to Arizona.

I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for the creative visionaries who are working so hard to bring this area to life. There is no other place like it over here in the West, West Valley, and we are so lucky it’s right in our own backyard!

There are so many reasons to visit GSQ, I sure hope you’ll go!

Buzz Rating

Thanks to Jas & Spitz for inspiring me to add a little color to my life!

Food: 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 (5/5) **Fresh & healthy!!!

Service: 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 (5/5) **Friendly!

Vibe: 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝++++ (100/5)

If you go, tell them The Buzz sent ya!

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1  So he’s an ESCAPEE, just like me! These are my favorite kind of stories because the allure of a steady paycheck is what those golden handcuffs are made of and keep many people chained to a desk they dream of leaving. We joked about that a bit, how difficult this path can sometimes be. But even with the daily ups & downs, I have yet to meet anyone who would go back to living the life they had before they stepped into the role as business owner (even if the allure of a steady paycheck sounds good).