Sucker Punch Sally's. Photo by Diana Martinez.
A new food haven for ASU students recently opened on Mill Avenue. Sucker Punch Sally’s Old School Diner opened on New Year’s Eve and offers cheap food 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There’s a full bar, free Wi-Fi and breakfast is served all day.
The atmosphere inside is laid-back, retro and a complete change from Ruby Tuesday, which used to be on that corner. Fender guitars hang from the walls and add a rock n’ roll feeling, while vintage posters add a touch of different decades.
The unique interior spawns from the original Sucker Punch Sally’s company, which specializes in motorcycles with a production line of customizable bikes.
Pete Lavallee, the diner’s general manager, says the idea to go from a motorcycle company to a restaurant was inspired by the lack of quality diners in Arizona.
“We’ve been to so many different diners in so many different towns, and then we come to [Arizona] and we try to go to a diner and it’s just not what we’re looking for,” Lavallee says. “So we decided we wanted to open one.”
It took about two years to find the right location for the diner, he says.
“We wanted to be in Tempe because it’s the most conducive to this type of concept,” Lavallee says. “There’s a lot of walk-by traffic, it has more of a city vibe than anywhere else, really.”
The food is traditional diner food — think pancakes, bacon, eggs — with Sucker Punch Sally’s’ “own little flare,” he says.
The diner offers burgers, sandwiches, salads, and of course, breakfast food. The pancakes are fluffy, sweet and fill the entire plate. The breakfast potatoes seem to be hit or miss — they can be fresh and perfectly seasoned or tiny and crunchy. For dessert, Sucker Punch Sally’s has several homemade pies, including apple and banana cream, as well as Indian fry bread. Dishes are $6 to $9, and Lavallee says the diner will get a larger menu in February. The staff is friendly and happy to serve the patrons, and the food is brought out quickly.
There are also plans to have a take-out window on the side of the diner that faces Mill Avenue, to be finished over the summer, he says.
Paul Balducci, a construction management senior, says he saw the diner from the street and wanted to check it out. He says he thinks it will be a great addition to Mill Avenue because it’s the first place there to have breakfast 24 hours a day. “It has good, cheap food, and they have Natty Light on tap, which I’ve never seen before on Mill,” Balducci says.
He says it will probably be a big hit with ASU students because of its convenient location, hours and cheap beer.
Kristin Bazlen, a tourism senior, says the diner has really good mac and cheese and will be the perfect place to come to after a night of drinking. She says she thinks Sucker Punch Sally’s Old School Diner will get more business than Ruby Tuesday received since it attracts a different market.
“Since it will be open 24 hours and has a more versatile menu I think it will get a lot more business,” Bazlen says. “And I think the live music and entertainment will make it more of a hangout.”
If you go…
4 E. University Drive
Tempe
(480) 248-6673
Contact the reporter at charlsy.panzino@asu.edu.
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