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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | DECEMBER 19, 2021
For more community news visit SanTanSun.com
Ahwatukee’s oldest eatery marks 50 years BY GERI KOEPPEL Special to the SanTan Sun News
Rustler’s Rooste, the Westernthemed steakhouse in Ahwatukee Foothills known for its jaw-dropping views and rattlesnake appetizer, turned 50 on Dec. 7. One of the oldest businesses in the community, the restaurant opened in 1971 on the current site at 8383 S. 48th St., although the original structure burned down April 27, 1985, in an electrical fire. To put Rustler’s Rooste in historical perspective, consider these dates in Ahwatukee historian Marty Gibson’s “Phoenix’s Ahwatukee-Foothills,” the first of his two books on the community’s history published by Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series. When the restaurant was built in 1971, Tempe and Chandler officials rejected developer Randall Presley’s bid to have one of those cities annex a fledgling Ahwatukee and land planner Wayne Smith created the first master plan for the community. It was only the year before, Gibson notes, that Presley had acquired 2,080 acres of remote and isolated land that eventually became known as Ahwatukee Foothills. The same year the fire burned down Rustler’s Rooste in 1985, Mountain Park Ranch welcomed its first residents and crews were honing in on the final months of work for the opening of I-10 access ramps at Warner and Ray roads. Within weeks of the fire, Rustler’s Rooste was rebuilt “bigger and better,” according to Ashley Allen, whose grandfather, Hank Beben, and his uncle, Gene Jarzab, started the business. “My mom started here when she was basically just starting to walk, with my grandmother in the kitchen,” she noted. Allen recalls the area was basically just dirt when the place first opened as a diner. “It was literally on a hill with nothing around it,” she said. “Dirt road to come
After a fire gutted it in 1985, right, Rustler’s Rooste was restored with all its Old West splendor. Not pictured is the famous slide that guests can amuse themselves with while waiting for their food. (Special to SanTan Sun News)
area was developed around it, including the condos and resort. The extra “e” on the end of Rooste wasn’t always there – it was added after the Pointe South Mountain Resort (now Arizona Grand Resort) was built and wanted the restaurant to “fit in” and be an extension of it, Allen explained. So, what’s the story about the rattlesnake ($19.95)? They wanted to serve something uniquely Arizonan – but the snakes come from an annual wild roundup in Sweetwater, Texas. “It’s very impressive,” Allen stated. “There’s a lot of links on YouTube… They throw them into a pit and auction them
of the servers used to babysit me who “stillSome work here, that’s the kind of staff we have. It’s very family-oriented. ”
– Ashley Allen
up; dirt road to come down.” She added, “Ahwatukee was like going to California, it was so far away. Now it’s where I live, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.” Allen never wanted to do anything else besides work in the family business, and she became one of the owners as well as the office manager. The other owners are her mother, Cathy DeMars, who’s also the general manager; her sister, Stevie DeMars; her grandfather’s uncle’s son Eugene Jarzab; and The Nagel Family, who bought into it. Ashley spent many special moments – such as prom – at the restaurant as she was growing up. She watched as the
off.” She said they usually buy more than a thousand pounds a year, but last year ran out due to COVID. “I couldn’t believe the number of people who would call and say, ‘Do you have rattlesnake? No? We’re not coming,’” Allen recalled. The dish is served with a side of cactus fries. Besides rattlesnake, one of the main attractions of Rustler’s Rooste is the stunning panorama of the Valley looking north with Camelback Mountain smack in the center. “You can see from Cardinals Stadium
to Four Peaks,” Allen said. “Fourth of July is huge up here because you can see multiple fireworks shows going on across the Valley all at once… Dust storms up here are amazing. Monsoons are amazing.” Another draw is the metal slide from the upper to lower floor, originally installed as a way for servers to expedite food delivery. “They always said they had the fastest tray in the West,” Allen said. Staff no longer uses it due to liability issues, but patrons enjoy it. “The slide is a huge hit and it’s used so much every single night,” Allen noted. “I’d say more adults use it than children.” Speaking of kids, the restaurant offers a “Slide Rider” membership for $7 that entitles cardholders age 10 and younger to eat for free off the kids’ menu with the purchase of an adult entree. And regardless of how young or old you are, all guests get a complementary tower of cotton candy at the end of each meal. One of the most popular elements of the experience, though, happens before even entering the door, where guest meet Horny the Bull, whose real name is D’Amico. The business has had a bull in a stable out front ever since it opened, and the latest one was rescued about three years ago after he lost his mother. The distance between the tips of his horns is 6 feet. “He’s our baby,” Allen said of D’Amico. “He’s like a giant dog I wish I could put in my car and take home and cuddle. He greets all our guests upon entry and he’s the biggest, cutest baby.” If you happen to miss him, he might
be out getting exercise: “We have a ranch out in north Scottsdale and he gets out and runs around,” Allen explained. Rustler’s Rooste is open 364 days a year, closing only on Super Bowl Sunday. It was closed for a few months due to COVID-19, which Allen said was “devastating.” There are just three TVs in the entire place, so the restaurant does not cater to sports fans. Management does cater to music buffs, with live country and western bands seven nights a week. The house act, Peso Dollar Band, has been performing there since the early 1990s. In addition to Fourth of July, Easter and Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving is big at Rustler’s Rooste, which serves about 2,700 people. The Rooste also has a popular pig roast in the spring, though it’s been on hiatus during the pandemic. Though the restaurant is popular with tourists and groups due to its size – it seats close to 1,000 including the outdoor patio – locals looking to support independent businesses are starting to rediscover it, Allen said. And it’s not just a go-to place on birthdays or special occasions. “More of the community is coming and patronizing more and more frequently,” she said. In addition to the family, many loyal employees have been there for decades. “Some of the servers used to babysit me who still work here,” Allen said. “That’s the kind of staff we have. It’s very family-oriented. We’ve known each other forever and ever and ever.” Information: rustlersrooste.com.
