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Meet Wendy Borenstein-Tucker of Chompie’s

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Borenstein-Tucker.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My family and I started Chompie’s Bagel Factory in 1979 in Phoenix, and we were the first store to sell authentic, New York style bagels and bakery items in the city. My parents Lou and Lovey, along with my brothers Mark and Neal Borenstein, moved from New York City to Arizona in 1978 to escape the terrible East Coast weather and the Son of Sam (also known as the .44 Caliber Killer), who was wreaking havoc at the time. We absolutely fell in love with the desert right away. We opened our first location at 32nd Street and Shea in the Fairlanes Bowling Center, and are so proud of how far we’ve come.

Shortly after we moved, my mother saw an application for the Mrs. America pageant at a local business, and after a lot of protesting I decided to apply. I was crowned Mrs. Arizona in 1979 and the rest is history! It was a wonderful program and I became the producer & director of the local pageant for several years afterward. I’ve always enjoyed helping other women to succeed.

Along with being a co-owner & working at our family business, I as well worked as a model and as an interior designer in Phoenix, but in 1984 decided to give that up and focus my full attention on my family and our growing business.

Currently, I am the Executive VP of Marketing for Chompie’s. I have a wonderful adult son and am proud to be celebrating 25 years of marriage February 14, 2018. My favorite things are music, dance and travel & good eating!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Chompie’s has been blessed to be a longtime staple in the Phoenix Metro community, which has allowed us to expand from one location to now having five spread out across the Valley. I think our biggest challenge as we continue to grow is determining the best areas to open new restaurant locations. There’s so much research that needs to be done about the best places to cater to our customers and get new traffic coming in. So far, we’ve done really well locating ourselves near shopping centers and malls.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Chompie’s – Arizona’s New York Deli – is a full-service restaurant that has been serving up great food, including freshly baked bread, cakes, pastries, and world-famous bagels since 1979.

My family relocated from Queens to bring East Coast traditions and heartwarming comfort food to the Phoenix Metropolitan Area.

Chompie’s is known for its authentic family recipes that have been handed down for generations.

The Chompie’s Team is dedicated to serving its customers with exceptional service and quality ensuring that every experience is enjoyable and unmistakably delicious.

Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
We have seen the restaurant industry starting to shift to a “fast casual” feel. A lot of the new restaurants that are popping up are extremely specialized. For example, they may only offer burgers, or tacos, or meatballs, etc. On the other hand, we have a huge menu that offers something for everybody, so it will be interesting to see how we might start to stand out even more as this trend progresses.

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Chompie’s

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