By Paul Maryniak | Ahwatukee Foothills News
Mark and Jody Pectol were almost giddy in anticipation of the lunchtime guests they’d be hosting as they set three adjacent tables at Zzeeks Pizza and Wings Aug. 6.
Their pizzeria in Ahwatukee Palms on the southeast corner of Warner Road and 48th Street has hosted numerous community gatherings, but never one where a member of Congress was the guest of honor.
Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce CEO/Executive Director Andrew Hayes had selected Zzeeks as the final stop of a three-business tour that U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton made to discuss small business issues.
After stopping by the Kolache Café and Arizona’s Vision, Stanton and an entourage that included city Councilman Kevin Robinson dropped into Zzeeks to see what was on the Pectols’ minds.
Mark couldn’t remember if he had ever seen Stanton in Zzeeks.
And sure enough, Stanton confessed, in his 25 years of public service that included serving Ahwatukee as its representative on city council, then Phoenix as its mayor and then the wider Congressional District 4, he had never been to Zzeeks.
Hayes told Stanton what he had been missing on the social side – which most Ahwatukee residents know is a lot.
“I can tell you that Zzeeks is very community-minded. If there’s any kind of help organizations or someone needs, Zzeeks is always willing to step up,” Hayes told Stanton, pointing to a jar marked for donations benefitting the Desert Vista High School Marching Band.
“There’s always fundraisers,” he added, and besides, “it’s a place where people gather to have pizza and a good time.”
Stanton said his staff recommended that since he had undertaken listening tours of businesses in Mesa and Chandler, Ahwatukee was a logical addition.
“We hadn’t done one in Ahwatukee and I said, ‘Okay, this is the time to do it.’ Obviously, this is an area I have represented as a councilman, mayor and now congressman.
“The point wasn’t to do politics,” he added, “It was just to meet people and then ask, ‘What can we do to help and what can we stop doing that’s hurting you?’”
He said he had been impressed at his earlier two stops.
He praised Arizona Vision’s “amazing innovations that they’re making.
“That place is a leading location for combining eyesight and hearing. I learned a little bit about the relationship between the two. They taught me how your diet can affect your eyesight.”
Of course, he also learned of some political concerns, explaining that “they asked about changes in Medicare so that more of our seniors can have better access to hearing and vision care.”
Stanton called the Kolache Café “an awesome restaurant I didn’t even know existed, to be honest.”
“It’s an awesome place with a unique food set and obviously very community oriented,” he added.
And while he had never stepped foot into Zzeeks, he indicated he wasn’t unfamiliar with the Pectols’ business despite Hayes’ introduction. “No place is more connected to the community than this place,” he said.
Stanton also paid an impromptu tribute to Ahwatukee, saying its “secret sauces is small business and education.”
“We want to support businesses that are really connected to the community,” he said. “I learned things about how I can be a better member of Congress to support small business. But mainly, it’s just great to meet people –put a name with a face, with a business, and get to know them.
“They get to know me, and then as they might need help in the future, I’m right there to help them. Small business and schools – that’s what makes this community. I mean, it’s tucked away on the other side of the mountain, not a lot of big industry here. It is small business that’s the heart and soul of this community and we want to support that and promote that as much as we can.”
One of the things Stanton said he learned on his tour is “that the tariffs really aren’t making much of an impact on food and medical supplies right now.”
“Businesses seem to be growing in Ahwatukee right now, which is very good,” he continued.
The Pectols raised one concern Stanton is powerless to address – the impact of the upcoming $1 increase in Arizona’s minimum wage next year.
Mark also surmised that sooner or later, the tariffs will impact Zzeeks and most other restaurants – and noted that his business will specifically be impacted by the tariff on Mexican tomatos.
And when Stanton thanked him and Jody for their community commitment, Mark just shrugged and said, “That’s emotional. That’s the easy part because we live here.
“I do feel like this is a village or a tribe and we all are connected and it’s fun to get involved with that stuff.”
Like a rock star greeted by fans, Stanton also was approached by others at Zzeeks.
A couple of parents from St. John Bosco Catholic School told him the new school year began that day and students walked in a traditional opening procession from adjacent St. Benedict’s Catholic Church and that they prayed for him.
Realtor Thanaa Saloum also thanked him for his work in the district.
And when it was time to sit down to finally have some pizza, Stanton fielded the obvious question a newcomer to Zzeeks could expect to be asked.
So what did he think of the pizza?
“It’s really good,” he said. “This won’t be the last time I come here.”