The Local, a new contemporary American restaurant with a global edge, is set to expand the palates of Phoenix’s growing arts district along Roosevelt Row.
The Local is co-owned by the previous chef of Atlas Bistro Chris McKinley and former general manager of Merc Bar Adam Hargett. The restaurant will be located near Third and Roosevelt streets next to Pallets Food & Bar and will pay tribute to its name by incorporating food and decor from local vendors, according to Hargett.
McKinley, who previously served high-end clientele at his previous location, said he wanted to serve a younger population in a growing climate and believes he found the right spot.
“I realized I wanted something where people my age had somewhere to be,” McKinley said. “Downtown Phoenix is up-and-coming, and I wanted to be part of the community.”
McKinley said some of the vendors they plan on working with include McClendon Farms, Maya’s Farm at South Mountain, Duncan’s Trading Company and Copper City Bourbon.
Along with local food, patrons can plan on seeing a rotating menu that is expected to change each week. McKinley’s menu will offer options that include Roman-style gnocchi and grilled pork head cheese open-faced banh mi.
Hargett said he and McKinley have known each other for a couple of years and thought their experience would work well together.
“Chris is kitchen-focused and I’m the bar scene, which interfere with each other,” Hargett said.
Creating a space for the 20- to 40-year-old age group was something that downtown Phoenix provided a need for, Hargett said.
Hargett said the plan for the new restaurant is to provide a complete local experience, including a solid music scene.
“We both want to take some cool culinary stuff to provide downtown in an atmosphere that is laidback and approachable,” Hargett said.
McKinley said he favors a contemporary American menu.
“America is a melting pot of culture and ethnicities, and modern America is melting into this,” McKinley said.
Bringing another restaurant to Roosevelt Row also adds to the overall development of the downtown area, according to David Noble, economic development project coordinator for the Downtown Phoenix Partnership.
“We are very proud of the array of options that are downtown,” Noble said. “We are always excited when people decide to invest time and money in downtown Phoenix.”
According to Noble, there has been a net increase of 48 restaurants in the surrounding area since 2008.
“Since we have been able to increase restaurants speaks to the fact that downtown consumers are here and are looking for something new,” Noble said.
The Local is still a work in progress and the co-owners plan on easing into it, according to McKinley. They plan to open on an invitation-only basis during the third week of March.
“First it will be friends and family invitation-only night and then industry night and allow traffic to trickle in,” McKinley said.
Hargett said The Local would distinguish itself from other restaurants in the area by staying open until 2 a.m. for six nights a week.
“We just wanted to have full and creative freedom with our restaurant,” he said.
Contact the reporter at Brittany.Ducksworth@asu.edu.
