BUSINESS SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | DECEMBER 26, 2021 21
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Local eateries, hotels gear up for midnight BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer
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hile New Year’s Eve festivities were largely scaled back a year ago, there’s little uncertainty this month among Scottsdale restaurants and hotels as they prepare to ring in 2022. Restaurants and hotels are eager to bring back elements of pre-pandemic New Year’s Eve celebrations while offering new experiences. “I feel like everybody is at a point where they’re ready to get back to a normal environment and put this past year behind them,” said Nick Neuman, the owner of EVO in OldTown. “I’m looking forward to inching back to the way things used to be and being able to relax and breathe a bit more.” With plans to stick with his signature four-course dinner on New Year’s Eve,
EVO owner Rick Neuman said his Old Town restaurant offers a friendly, calm atmosphere to welcome the new year. (Facebook)
Neuman is excited that nearly 100 guests who stayed home last year are returning, bringing the number of guests to north of 400. Roaring Fork is preparing for at least 280 guests on New Year’s Eve by offering
its regular menu a la carte in addition to a steak and lobster dinner option. “The thing that differentiates our restaurant from others on New Year’s Eve is that we offer our regular menu a la carte in addition to the Steak & Lobster promo-
tion,” said Roaring Fork’s general manager Matt Sevigny. “We don’t offer any pre-fixed menu for a price per person so that our dining patrons can enjoy their favorites and our house specialties on New Year’s Eve as well.” After selling out last year’s bowling lanes, Mavrix has expanded its experience for this year’s festivities. “Last year we only sold lanes as packages of two to reduce the amount of interaction between guests. Now we are selling individual lane packages,” said JP Mullan, the COO at Octane Entertainment, which owns Mavrix. “We sold out of the lane packages right away last year, so we added Trophy Room booth packages for 2021,” Mullan added. “We also added an earlier 6:30 p.m. package for families to experience a NYE cel-
see NEWYEAR'S page 23
‘Undercover Billionaire’ sets up shop here BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer
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rant Cardone – the star of “Undercover Billionaire” on Discovery network as well as a bestselling author and speaker on leadership and other topics – has brought his company, Cardone Ventures, to Scottsdale. With a goal of helping businesses expand tenfold – or 10X as Cardone likes to call it – the office opened with a spectacular act of generosity as Cardone and Cardone Ventures Co-Founder/CEO Brandon Dawson donated 6,000 toys to various charities across Scottsdale and to victims of tornadoes that ravaged the Midwest. Together with an additional 4,000 toys coming from outside donors, the total value of the toys was $200,000. “The act of giving has stood the test of
Grant Cardone, dressed in the blue suit, was joined by members of the Greater Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce in cutting the ribbon to his new offices here. (Special to the Progress)
time,” Cardone said. “Men and women from all over the world and all religions believe in giving. It’s a gift to be able to give anything to anyone.”
Of the toys being donated across the country, $100,000 worth will stay in Arizona for the Scottsdale Firefighter’s Charities Association, Arizona Helping Hands,
Family Promise and Armer Foundation for Kids. The other half of the toys will be donated to young victims of the tornadoes. “I’m the vice-chairman of the American Academy of Hospitality Services on the east coast and we do toy drives every single year. Grant does toy drives every year in Miami with law enforcement, the fire department and the Grant Cardone Foundation,” Dawson said. “When we opened the offices here, we decided to start this toy drive where we kept $100,000 of toys here and we sent $100,000 worth of toys to the Midwest where the tornadoes hit. Whatever community we’re in, we like to support it.” Cardone Ventures has ambitions to draw businesses to the Phoenix Metro-
see CARDONE page 22
