Tucson might ban me, but I don’t love Eegee’s restaurants. Here’s why

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Everyone in Tucson has an Eegee’s memory.

For me it was the crackling summer afternoons waiting for a styrofoam cup of watermelon ice cream in the passage. I share a tub of ranch fries with a friend and try not to eat all of them myself. And on the other hand, having a rough day and stopping in the parking lot to cry and then driving away without even ordering anything.

In The Old Pueblo there is always an Eegee close by to pick you up. The sandwich chain currently has more than 25 locations in virtually every neighborhood in Arizona’s second largest city. Over the past 50 years, this locally-based brand has become synonymous with Tucson, a symbol of the city’s vintage treasures and frenzied heat. To criticize Eegees is to criticize Tucson itself.

At the risk of being branded a traitor to my former home, where I lived for 15 years, I am here today to criticize Eegees.

When the chain begins its expansion to Gilbert in 2021 with a total of five locations in the entire valley, I have to tell my neighbors in Phoenix the truth: Eegee is not always worth the hype. Much of the chain’s appeal comes from savvy social media marketing and nostalgia for the experience – and most certainly not the sub-sandwiches or fast-food salads that make up the menu.

Let’s be honest: Eegee’s charm is in the drinks, not in the food

When Eegee’s was named the best fast food restaurant in Arizona by Food & Wine Magazine in 2019, my parents were so intrigued they drove from Phoenix to meet me and try it out. We snubbed the chimichangas at El Charro Cafe and spent the afternoon sharing cheap grinders and chopped Italian salads with a chocolate chip cookie in the restaurant on Valencia Road, just down the street from New Mexico’s iconic Blake’s Lotaburger.

The verdict of two Phoenicians? Meh.

“I found the sandwiches mediocre and the fries overrated,” my father told me this week. “The fries were better than In-N-Out fries which are mediocre, but they weren’t great fries.”

I only partially agree, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

He and my stepmother concluded that the chain was really about their icy drinks, which are slightly thicker than slushies and have creative flavors like Orange Dream or Piña Colada. When the original owners Ed Irving and Bob Greenberg started their Eegee’s Food Truck in 1971, they based the drinks on an East Coast-style Italian ice cream that you dig into with a spoon.

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Now, with different flavors of the month and brews like Eegees Fizz and Teagees, the drinks are crushing on social media. The chain has 14,000 followers on Twitter, including former Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, who once tweeted at the chain to get their special watermelon Eegee out early.

Although I understand his enthusiasm, I always found the drinks a bit sweet and artificial in taste. I usually drank a couple of spoons and then gave up and wished I’d ordered an iced tea.

That said, real people know the ranch fries are real

Then there are the sandwiches, which simply don’t rival the variety of fast food options in the Phoenix area.

When I arrived in Tucson in 2004, I had a hard time understanding why the Tucsonans liked them. They pale in comparison to the freshly cut delicacies from well-known national chains like Goodcents. Eegee’s bakes their own bread, but it can often be too fluffy without much flavor, one level higher than Subway. Some of the sandwiches are better than others, like the spicy pastrami on rye, but don’t even think about getting the spicy grinder with jalapeños. It’s just gross, sorry.

But I disagree with my family on the fries rating. In the world of loaded fries, Eegee’s has developed a real zinger that appeals to the southwest. The Ranch Fry des Eegee is a simple tub of perfectly crunchy crinkle fries topped with a zigzag of the chain’s proprietary ranch blend, a thick and flavorful version of the creamy dip. Many stores build their own ranch, but Eegee’s does it better than most. What if they throw a few pieces of bacon on it? Nice.

Do I think Eegee will thrive in the family-oriented stronghold of East Valley and other suburbs? Probably. Their product is inexpensive and their marketing team has come a long way since trying unsuccessfully to invade the Valley in the 80s. But will I be waiting for a turkey submarine and a strawberry teagee in the first week of scorching Arizona summer? No. But please tell me when you go At least it’ll make a good story. And maybe one day it will be a pleasant memory too.

Calm:Try avocado and passion fruit ice cream at this colorful Mexican dessert shop

Reach reporter Andi Berlin at amberlin@azcentral.com or 602-444-8533. Follow her on Facebook @andiberlin, Instagram @andiberlin or Twitter @andiberlin.

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