Native Grill & Wings closes Tempe location after 47 years

🍗 A piece of Valley dining history has closed its doors. Native Grill & Wings on the southeast corner of Broadway and Dorsey in Tempe – the last remnant of the original location that first opened at McClintock and Baseline back in 1979 – is shutting down after nearly half a century.

The story goes back to New York native Floyd Anderson and his wife, Judy, who opened the restaurant as Native New Yorker in 1979. What started as a single neighborhood sports bar grew into a beloved Valley chain that eventually expanded to 25 locations across the region, becoming a fixture for generations of Arizonans celebrating birthdays, watching games, and building friendships over wings and beer.

After Floyd died in 2009, the business passed to the Andersons’ three daughters – Jami Lee, Sherri Lind, and Linda Tritschler – who carried on the family legacy. In 2014, the sisters sold off most of the chain, which was rebranded Native Grill & Wings, but retained two locations.

Now, in a heartfelt social media letter signed ‘‘The Anderson Family Daughters,’’ Jami, Linda, and Sherri bid farewell to the Tempe location, thanking loyal customers, employees, and friends for the love and support shown to their family over the decades.

The good news for fans: the sisters’ remaining location is still open on the northeast corner of U.S. 60 and Gilbert in Mesa, ready to carry the Native tradition forward.