he response to the HWLT HEART campaign has been overwhelmingly wonderful. Arizona has embraced us, our campaign, and the restaurants we are trying to help. To the locals, to the media, to the restaurant owners, managers, and employees, we would like to offer our wholehearted thanks. While Arizona is beginning to open up and restaurants are once again able to serve their customers, we have decided to continue this campaign. While our state is now able to start the recovery process, many restaurants are still struggling after being shut down for so long and need our help.
That being said, we recently selected our 10th HWLT HEART campaign winner, Zesty Zzeeks Pizza, located in Chandler on Arizona Ave. and Ocotillo! When the staff opened the restaurant up on Wednesday, May 20th, they were immediately swamped with orders from enthusiastic locals. It only took one hour and a half for Zzeeks to hit the $4,000 goal, and the orders kept coming in for the rest of the day.
With such incredible pizza, we just had to get to know the owner a little before the day was over. So, we sat down with Zeke himself and asked exactly why he decided to start a restaurant. He told us that while in college he worked as a driver for Domino’s. The chain had a training program that allowed him to grow and flourish within the company, which eventually lead to him to managing and owning a Domino’s pizzeria. After gaining priceless knowledge and experience, he decided that he wanted to start doing things his own way and could only do that if he started his own restaurant. Thus, Zesty Zzeeks Pizza was born.
He opened his first pizzeria in Ahwatukee in 2013 and now has an incredible four stores. He can now serve Chandler, Tempe, and Ahwatukee incredibly pizza. Zeke even caters to those of us who eat (or at least try to eat) healthy by offering cauliflower, broccoli cheese, or zucchini crust. On top of all that, after seeing people struggle in the wake of COVID-19, Zeke decided to help out by selling flour and other cooking supplies at cost to his patrons in need.
After such an inspiring story and such clear devotion to the people of Arizona, we have to say thank you, Zesty Zzeeks Pizza. It warms our hearts to see how willing people have been to come together and support each other during such hard times.
If you want to offer your support to a local Arizonan restaurant, head over to our HEART page and fill out an application. Some are returning to work in Arizona, but that does not mean all of us will be able to get back on our feet right away. Each of us will need help and support from our community to begin to recover. Offer your help to a local restaurant today.