By Shay Moser
When Danny Quinn set out to develop his third restaurant in McCormick Ranch, he focused on Mexican food. The result is El Carbón, which will open in February 2024. “‘Al Carbón’ means in Spanish to grill over natural fuel like charcoal or wood,” he explains. “We’ll grill over a wood-fueled fire.”
Quinn, owner and founder of the independent hospitality group F+F Concepts based in Phoenix, says they’ll prepare the proteins such as whole chicken, big chunks of ribeye, and shrimp on skewers on the woodfire grill.
Once the food is grilled from the heat from below, causing some surface charring and creating a smokey taste, the proteins will be turned into Mexican cuisine served with homemade tortillas on the side.
Quinn has two other restaurants only a few blocks away in McCormick Ranch. The first is Pubblico Italian Eatery, which has been featuring classic, homemade Italian served in a contemporary yet casual setting since opening in 2018 in Phoenix and 2020 in Scottsdale. Rockefeller, which followed two years later, features signature cocktails and an expertly selected wine list in a sophisticated yet relaxed environment where small bites, entrées, and classics meet inventive seafood-centric dishes.
The inspiration behind Pubblico? Quinn says it was Italian food because that’s Head Chef Danny Garcia’s specialty. Garcia shares classic old-school Italian with homemade pasta made daily in-house. The contemporary part of Pubblico comes in with its cocktails in the hip, casual setting.
A seafood restaurant was missing in McCormick Ranch, so Rockefeller was born to fill the space.
While homemade tortillas at El Carbón and homemade pasta at Pubblico distinguish the restaurants, Rockefeller’s cocktail scene sets it apart. And with drinks with names like Cookie Monster and Morning Cartoons, you won’t find them anywhere else.
“We knew we wanted Rockefeller to be open later,” Quinn explains. “McCormick Ranch is a quiet place with no nearby places to go for a late-night drink after dinner. That’s what we wanted Rockefeller to be.”
Starting in the Service Industry
Working as a busboy in a Santa Barbara, California, family-owned restaurant during his teenage years, Quinn moved up to running the family’s four locations after 12 years in the business.
“I intended to do my own thing in the service industry eventually,” says Quinn. “I just didn’t know what yet.”
When a friend who owned Cucina Cucina Modern Italian at the Arizona Center called in 2016, Quinn didn’t hesitate to relocate with his wife and young children to “escape the higher cost of living in California and come to the more business-friendly Valley.”
While managing and operating Cucina Cucina, Quinn met Head Chef Danny Garcia.
“I realized what a gem he was and how good his food was,” Quinn says, adding that when Cucina Cucina closed, it made sense to open a restaurant where Garcia could have complete creative control. A few years later, Pubblico Italian Eatery was born.
“We’re taking over McCormick Ranch; I could walk to all three of them, but they’re all different concepts,” he says. However, Quinn says the priorities remain: delicious fare, expertly crafted cocktails, skillfully curated wine lists, and vibrant but laid-back ambiances.
F+F is a playful nod to Quinn’s early hires who helped get his first restaurant off the ground — his friends and family. “I was on a shoestring budget when I opened the first restaurant,” he says. Quinn doesn’t have brothers and sisters, so Garcia’s family stepped in to help. Today, those friends and family are Garcia’s sons, the mixologist for F+F Concepts, and the other who runs one of the kitchens.
“I try to treat everybody who works for me like friends and family,” says Quinn, “making sure they have work-life balance. Then, when it’s time to grind, they’re there.”
While F+F Concepts restaurants stay busy serving parties of one to over eight, its smallest venue can accommodate 105 guests for an event and the largest up to 150. It offers customized menu options for all occasions and budgets, including signature cocktails, a full bar with top-shelf spirits, pass-around appetizers, wine pairings, a buffet or sit-down dinner, and seafood, meat, and vegetarian options.
“As far as events go, we’ll figure it out,” Quinn says. “If it’s over their budget, we’ll ask what their budget is and plan the menu and drinks around it.”
Visit fandfconcepts.com to make a reservation at any restaurant or inquire about an event.
This content is sponsored by F+F Concepts.
