It All Started With A Road Trip & A Dream

In 1978, Judy and Floyd Anderson crammed their family and their belongings into their car and did what Americans have been doing for more than 200 years – they headed west to chase a dream. What that dream was, they’d figure out later: they had more important things to worry about. About to embark on a cross country move from Buffalo, New York, to Phoenix, Arizona with their four young daughters, Debbie, Linda, Sherri and Jami in the backseat, Judy and Floyd were occupied with bigger concerns like “How are we going to support ourselves?” and “Are we crazy?”

Steeled against a constant barrage of “Are we there yet?” Judy and Floyd discussed their destiny on the drive west. As mile after mile rolled on beneath their tires and they watched the temperature creep higher and higher, the Andersons decided that once they had settled in Arizona, they would open a restaurant.

Sharing a passion for food and people, Floyd and Judy believed that a restaurant would allow the family to work together while taking advantage of the Phoenix area’s exploding population. It seemed like a simple, tailor-made plan. The more they thought about it, the more excited they became.

Of course, nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
Just a few months later, still growing accustomed to the heat and scorpions, Judy and Floyd had the opportunity to buy LaMonica’s, a small, local pizza joint. Ready to begin turning their dreams into reality, they went to the bank, got approved for a loan, and took the plunge.

Things started slowly.
When total nightly sales consistently failed to break $60, they didn’t panic, knowing that building a business takes time. But as these first days turned into months, and then into their one-year anniversary without any improvement, it became increasingly difficult to keep telling themselves things would get better. Worry turned into depression, as they continued to change the menu and try every new fangled promotion they could think of. Nothing worked. Nagged by the incessant fear that they were running their finances into the ground, and with no one but creditors knocking on their restaurant door, the Andersons subscribed to the great American dream and borrowed more money.

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