Selected As One Of The Runner-Up Companies
By The Kyiv Post, November 16th 2000
5th Anniversary Edition, Page 8s
Arizona Group has been one of the main contributors to that boom, opening up three more critically acclaimed restaurants - San Tori (1997), Edelweiss (1999) and Kazak Mamai (2000). The innovation behind Arizona Group lies with German Falk Nebiger and American partner Rob Koenig. Together with their Ukrainian partner, Ihor Balenko, they dared to change the way restaurants do business in Kyiv." NOTE: Since this article was written in November of 2000 The Arizona Group has opened a series of sandwich shops known as Mr. Snack. For information on Mr. Snack check the Mr. Snack Gallery found in the Commercial Gallery of www.ArtUkraine.com.
Back in 1995, there was little choice in Kyiv for the discerning diner and certainly nowhere that combined good quality American food, a great bar for socialising in and a pool hall. Having spent several months looking for premises Falk found the run-down buildings and yard on the Dnipro embankment by accident and after eight months of complete renovation, Arizona BBQ opened on a cold night in December, most memorable for the supply of free cocktails on offer! US chef Gary Russo had helped to design the authentic American roadhouse - style menu while Finnish professional bartender Laure kept those cocktails coming. Falk remembers those first two years as a mixture of great fun and hard work for himself and Marina, while for customers there was a constant stream of new dishes on the menu (having started with 21, there are now over 100), live music, the first Happy Hour in the capital - complete with free chips and salsa - and the first real American breakfast menu! You only have to look closely to sense the history already made in this restaurant! 1997 saw Kyiv on a confident high, with a host of new eating and drinking establishments opening up, and also a low, with with aftermath of the Russian financial crisis and many expats leaving the country. Arizona retained a steady level of business though and it was in September that year that Falk opened another Arizona restaurant in the eastern city of Donetsk. Back in Kyiv, the mixed Ukrainian and expat clientele was loyal to Arizona, and business was good enough to back the opening of a stream of eateries by Falk and his partners over the last couple of years. San Tori, Edelweiss, White Shark (a summer restaurant in Yalta), and most recently, Kozak Mamai, have each become successful in their own right; now the fast food chain Mr. Snack is undergoing a facelift thanks to Falk's efforts, with the latest sandwich outlet open just last week. So what's his secret for a winning formula? Falk won't let on, but generously hints that high standards, good food, comfortable decor, great service and location all keep customers coming back to Arizona. In fact he'd like to thank all his regular clients over the past five years for their loyalty and support and hopes to see them all this Friday, 8 December (2000), at the Arizona birthday party! Arizona's 5th Anniversary Party 8 December from 20.00 Arizona BBQ 25 Naberezhno-Khreschatytska vul. Tel. 416 2437 |
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![Click here to view](javascript:show('../kyivimages/images/kv0016.jpg', '"Arizona Restaurant , In Podil Near The Dniper River, Kyiv, Ukraine" ', '', ''))
