Under $30
Checkerboard Cafe a friendly and speedy neighborhood spot
By Kelly Lewis
for the Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.27.2008
Walking into Checkerboard Cafe feels a bit like walking into a reunion, even if you've never met anyone there.
Patrons holler across the room to one another, a birthday party is in full swing, and owner Richard Edmond is behind the grill, working quickly and furiously.
"I want a margarita!" yells customer Barbara Kunkle, who knows full well that the cafe doesn't serve alcohol.
Kunkle, who works at the nearby All Vehicle Title & Registration, says she comes in to Checkerboard Cafe all the time.
On this day, she's enjoying a house salad and joined by co-worker Scott Gaddie, who jokes that he visits the local joint just for the abuse dished out by Edmond and his wife, Jennifer.
For other regulars, like Wade Musil, the restaurant is a great place to get a quick bite and relax with friends. Longtime Tucsonans might remember the diner in its previous life as Peppy Lou's.
"I've been coming here for years," says Musil, who is grabbing lunch with nine of his friends and co-workers. "The food is always good. Even the people that work here are friendly."
Checkerboard Cafe, which opened in May 2006, has gained a reputation for inexpensive food and prompt service.
On a recent visit, we could hardly finish half of our drinks before our waitress came by with a free refill.
The food, however, was a mixed bag.
The cheeseburger ($4.20) was well-cooked but it was topped with an unattractive, unmelted square piece of American cheese. Not only did it rob the burger of its gooey melty cheese essence, it looked sloppy on the plate.
The fries that came with it were crinkly and undercooked, the kind you could buy at a local grocery store.
Luckily, we ordered a side of onion rings ($3.95) that were warm and crispy.
The tuna melt ($4.89) was the first hit of the day. Made with tuna salad on grilled rye with Swiss cheese, the sandwich was neither too dry nor too greasy.
The Checkerboard roast beef sandwich ($5.89), made with tomatoes, green chiles and Swiss cheese on a grilled French roll, also ranked high on the taste meter. The beef was flavorful and tender, and the melted cheese and grilled green chiles gave the sandwich added texture and taste.
With such cheap prices, we tried a variety of lunch and breakfast dishes before hitting our $30 limit.
But Edmond says that with the rising cost of certain foods, like cheese and wheat, he may soon have to raise prices 10 percent to 15 percent across the board.
This mom-and-pop shop isn't called Checkerboard Cafe for nothing. The entire place is decked out in black and white checkered patterns, from the tile to the trim on the walls.
The restaurant business is second nature to Edmond, who previously owned Brays Restaurant. His parents worked at the first Sambo's Restaurant in Tucson.
"My dad was an opening manager and my mom was a waitress," he says. "I've been around it all my life. I was sort of sucker-punched into it."
And while Checkerboard is small, with just a few tables and booths, Edmond says he likes it that way.
"I don't want it to be bigger," he says. "It's our little place."
Kelly Lewis is a University of Arizona journalism senior who is apprenticing at the Star. You can contact her at starapprentice@azstarnet.com.
3 Comments on this story
