SCOTTSDALE, AZ — After more than a year, the disco ball is spinning once again, the video games are plugged in and the drinks are flowing at The Hot Chick, a 70s-themed neighborhood bar in Old Town Scottsdale.
The bar closed in March 2020 when businesses were shut down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened for takeout for a short time but shut down again because of the ongoing pandemic.
Then in July 2020, there was a fire in the kitchen, which further prolonged the bar’s closure.
Despite all of those hurdles, the Scottsdale bar reopened Friday and welcomed customers back inside for the first time in a year.
“It feels great man. It’s a long time coming. The response on it has been nothing short of amazing,” said general manager David Gonzales, who has been with The Hot Chick since it opened in 2018.
“We're giving the people what they want. They want us to be back and they want us to be here. So that's, you know -- it's just a smile from ear to ear.”
Since the fire was kept to the kitchen, the bar mostly looks the same as it did before, Gonzales said. They added some new chairs, reupholstered the booths and added some more video games.
“We didn't really change a whole lot because we really didn't need to. We provided a product that everyone kind of loved and enjoyed. We're like that house party that goes on seven days a week,” he said.
The Hot Chick has two outdoor entertainment areas with picnic tables, misters, TVs, cornhole boards and TVs. Inside, there is a circular bar with a large disco ball above it, a vintage RV camper where people order food from, booths, tables, vintage couches, table video games, board games, and video games, such as pinball, skee-ball, and Ms. Pac-Man.
For the opening weekend, the bar had a limited menu with some of its most popular items, including “The Hot Chick” chicken sandwich and chicken “nugs.”
The cocktails are named after movies from the era.
To start, the bar will be open Wednesday - Sunday and close on Mondays and Tuesdays (full hours below).
Gonzales said they may make some changes to the menu in the future, including adding some new items, but for now, they are getting through the opening. A reopening celebration is tentatively set for Labor Day weekend in September.
The Hot Chick is part of Jocque Concepts, the restaurant group behind The Montauk and Diego Pops in Scottsdale and Eat Up! Drive-thru in Arcadia.
IF YOU GO:
The Hot Chick
4363 N 75th St, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Hours: Closed Monday and Tuesday
Wednesday: 3p.m. - midnight
Thursday: 3 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Friday: 3 p.m. - 2 a.m.
Saturday: Noon to 2 a.m.
Sunday: Noon to 2 a.m.
https://www.thehotchickaz.com
