100 South Mill Avenue

Weak Dec. snaps McD’s streak; Same-store sales dip in U.S., but international stores pick up the slack

Cheryl V. Jackson, The Chicago Sun-Times — Chicago Sun Times, January 29, 2008 Tuesday Final Edition

A bleak December chilled McDonald’s Corp.’s 56-month-long record of higher year-over-year same-store sales in the United States.

The company said weak consumer spending in an uncertain economic climate pushed same-store lower compared with a year earlier. [...]
Some franchisees, however, complain the dollar menu offerings — particularly the popular double cheeseburger — hurt their profits.
“Just when we should have pulled the double cheeseburger off the Dollar Menu because of back-door costs, we are now stuck with it for a while,” one owner surveyed said.
[...]

And furthermore…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers, battered by harsh economic crosswinds, spent less in December than at any time in the past 15 months while applications for unemployment benefits soared last week, two more signs the economy is weakening.

…but, on the other hand:

Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr. to focus on pricier sandwiches
As McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s compete head-to-head on value-menu sandwiches, CKE Restaurants said this month that its Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. chains will continue their focus on premium burgers. “We hope to continue to see benefits from our premium quality focus, as well as our focus on superior service and cutting edge advertising,” CEO Andrew F. Puzder said
[...]Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic Inc., a research and consulting company that serves the food industry, said some fast-food chains are trying to differentiate themselves by becoming more like fast-casual restaurants.

Fast casual chains like Panera Bread Co. (nasdaq: PNRA - news - people ) typically offer food at higher prices in a more casual dining atmosphere.

Tristano said companies like CKE have some advantages since they can offer the same quality food but in less time.

He added that CKE’s strategy may be successful, even in a difficult economic environment, since diners less sensitive to price points may still look for a fast food option for convenience.

“You’re still going to have a large group of people who quite frankly don’t care about the price,” he added.

The latest from Woody:
Subject: Monti’s Back Door Weekly Update
Date:    Sun, 27 Jan 2008 04:27:37 -0700

Hi, JAMN Fans:
Here’s what’s coming up for Monday night jazz at Monti’s Back Door.

Feb. 4 — The Sherry Petta Quartet
This is Sherry’s first appearance at the Back Door. She has been performing around the Valley for the last decade.  Having played piano her whole life, she started singing and playing in church in the mid 90’s, spent some time singing with a Motown style soul band, but has found her home singing jazz and is backed by some of the best jazz sidemen in Arizona.  Her songlist includes popular jazz standards in addition to her originals.  Sherry has played many venues throughout the state, including Johnny’s Uptown, El Pedregal, Rare Earth, Eddie V’s, Pita Jungle, Town of Gilbert, Payson Jazz Series, and the West Valley Art Museum.  She also performs at special events or private functions throughout the Phoenix area, and has appeared at the legendary Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, as well as the Fonda Music Box Theater at the 2007 Los Angeles Music Awards in November, where she was awarded Jazz Artist of the Year. Sherry has had local and national TV appearances, and various songs from her cd “this is why” have been getting radio airplay across the country.  She’s currently working on her second album in addition to a song that will be released as a single to be used as a fundraising piece for various foundations for special needs children.  Accompanying Sherry will be Pete Gitlin on bass, Dan Mock on drums, and Steven Von Wald on sax.

Charles Lewis
Feb. 11 — The Charles Lewis Quintet
No jazz talent in Arizona commands more respect than Charles Lewis, a jazz pianist extraordinaire who has entertained jazz audiences in the Valley since the ’60s. His unique piano style reflects the sophistication of Duke Ellington and the humor and rhythm of Horace Silver. Charles and his quintet have been recipients of many grants to perform throughout Arizona and the United States. He has served on the Musical Advisory Panel for the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the Arizona Commission on the arts. One of the Valley’s great jazz treasures and a member of the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame. This is his third appearance at the Back Door and we’re honored to have him back.

Margo Reed                    Francine Reed

Feb. 18 — Margo Reed and The Joel Robin Trio w/special guest
Francine Reed
What a special treat to have these two talented sisters on the same bill. Margo always fills the room and brings the house down. Now, we have both of them together and backed by the Joel Robin Trio. This is a happening! If you’re a veteran of the Valley jazz scene, you can recall the days when Francine and Margo, indeed the entire Reed family, were regulars on the Valley club circuit. Then, Francine met Lyle Lovett, and everyone’s life changed…especially Lyle Lovett’s. Francine, along with a couple other talented Valley musicians, went on tour with Lovett and never looked back. In the interim years, Francine settled in Atlanta and is a cornerstone of the local music scene. She will be visiting the Valley next month and we’re honored to have the Reed sisters together at the Back Door. This is one show you don’t want to miss.

Dennis Rowland

Feb 25 — Dennis Rowland & The Jazz Experience
Concord recording artist Dennis Rowland was Born and Raised in Detroit, Michigan, the R & B mecca of the United States and, naturally, the heart and soul of Motown played an important part in the development of Dennis’ signature sound. The comparisons have been many and run the gamut from Lou Rawls to Joe Williams. The influence is there, to be sure, and yet what Rowland offers his audiences today is a unique and distinct sound all his own.
Dennis Rowland is still best-known for his association with the Count Basie Orchestra but he has worked hard over the years to build his solo career. He remembers hearing Joe Williams’ Every Day with Count Basie on record regularly when he was five or six and it made a strong impression. Rowland was in Williams’ spot during the last seven years (1977-84) of Basie’s life, touring the world with the classic orchestra. After that period ended, Dennis began working as an actor on stage and film, settled in Phoenix, Arizona and began recording as a leader for Concord in 1995. Trying to branch beyond the swing/blues/standards repertoire, Rowland’s second Concord album (Get Here) had some R&B-ish numbers and selections open to the influences of pop and funk. His main strength, however, rests with his swinging style and appealing voice which is best displayed on his third Concord disc, a tribute to Miles Davis Now Dig This.
On March 30th, 2007 Dennis Rowland was inducted into the Herberger Theater Performing and Broadcast Arts Hall of Fame. Joining such varied Arizona luminaries as Hugh Downs, Alice Cooper and Leslie Neilsen.

As always, we want to thank all who have contributed to the success of our JAMN Jazz Series at Monti’s Back Door…KJZZ,  Monti’s La Casa Vieja, Downtown Tempe Community, Jazz in AZ, the Arizona Republic,  the Tempe Town News  and EV Tribune. Thanks to everyone for supporting live jazz in the Mill Avenue District.
Shows start at 5:30 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. Cover is $7. Dinner and drinks are available on our special menu.  Monti’s Back Door is in the rear of Monti’s La Casa Vieja, 100 S. Mill Ave., Tempe. For information on dates, call 480.345.2392.

Best Regards,
Stu Siefer, Roy Hoyt and Woody Wilson
JAMN

Me and, more importantly, Chef G:

http://www.azfamily.com/video/index.html?nvid=210287&she=1

If you like this video please return to http://www.azfamily.com/video/
to see more!

These are going around people’s “in” boxes. I’m not sure where the list of memories originated, but I got the mail from Eddie Goitia and Melissa Werner. I could think of a few additions of my own, many Tempe-specific ones at that:

You lived in Phoenix in the 60s, 70s and 80s if…

–You remember when Bell Road (especially thorough
Glendale ) was the considered edge of civilization. There was nothing there but tumbleweeds and prairie dogs.
Now, it’s where you go to run all your errands. Or if you were traveling eastbound on Bell Rd. the sign that said ‘
Scottsdale- 21 miles’.

Your parents took you to Legend City . The only theme park
Phoenix had. MOrnings were spent watching ‘The Wallace and Ladmo Show’. When it was over, it was time to leave for school. ‘Ladmo Bags’.

You remember when Beardsley Road was a seldom traveled, two-lane blacktop. Now, it’s the eastbound frontage road for the 101 freeway.

Before there was Target, there was Gemco. Now, most of the old Gemco stores are Targets.

You watched Star Wars at the original Cine Capri.

You remember stores like Yellow Front, Woolco, Newberry’s, McCrory’s, TG&Y, Fedmart, Sprouse Reitz, Wards and Yates. (And Milts, and the Gold Bond Stamp Redemption Store (green stamps, too, but they were less prestigious)

You remember when Metrocenter had a below-grade ice skating rink. Watching skaters from the overlook above was the best way to escape the summer heat. (You remember before there was a MetroCenter)

Also at Metrocenter was a Farrell’s ice cream parlor. No Farrell’s trip was complete without getting to see two waiters run though the restaurant with a sundae resting on a stretcher, while lights and sirens whirred in the background. Sometimes, the ice cream would fall off the stretcher. Don’t forget the trip thru their candy store. (The first Farrells was at Chris Town )

You saw a concert at Compton Terrace. When it was attached to
Legend City .

Your dad subscribed to the Phoenix Gazette(afternoon paper) and the Arizona Republic on Sunday. (The paper boy delivered on his bike, and collected once a week, and gave you a teeny, tiny square of paper as your receipt)

You remember when the Brass Armadillo antique mall was Angel’s–a building supply warehouse similar to Home Depot.

You remember when you got your building supplies from O’Malley’s, Entz-White or Payless Cashways.

You remember when the Phoenix Suns were the only professional sports team in the state, and they played their games at Phoenix Memorial Coliseum.

Your groceries came from Alpha Beta, AJ Bayless, Lucky’s,
Neb ’s Market or Smitty’s. Smitty’s even had a little coffee shop attached to it.

A night out consisted of family dinner at the Lunt Avenue Marble Club. Their deep fried mushrooms were the best. (Or, before Lunt Avenue , Helsings at Camelback Central, or GrubStake - at 7th and Missouri (?) or the Carnation Ice Cream Plant/Restaurant)

You remember when eastbound I-10 ended at Dysart Road . In order to continue east, you had to take McDowell or Thomas Road 15 miles to I-17 and head south. I-10 started up again somewhere east of downtown.

You ate breakfast at Sambo’s or Bob’s Big Boy. You drove to Central and Thomas to have Strawberry Pie at Big Boy’s because it was a car hop and they brought it
to your car. (Or after church at Picadilly at ChrisTown (remember the lines would WAY down the sidewalk) or Guggy’s, and Sunday nights after church at Bob’s at ChrisTown)

Cruising Central Avenue between McDowell and Camelback was the cool thing to do.

A lot of kids would park at Park Central facing the street and show off their rides

You remember when houses were built with carports instead of garages. Roofs were covered with wood shakes or asphalt shingles instead of concrete tiles. (And only rich people had air conditioning; the rest of us had evap)

You remember home builder’s billboards that advertised interest rates of 11%.

Your aspirin and cough syrup came from Skagg’s, Revco, Thrifty’s, or Drug Emporium.

Your shoes came from Buster Brown.

You remember when CBS was on channel 10…ABC was on channel 3…and channels 5
and 15 were independent. Now, CBS is on channel 5…FOX is on channel 10….ABC
is on channel 15…and channel 3 no longer has a network affiliation. NBC and

PBS are the only ones that stayed on their original stations (channel 12 and 8, respectively). (You remember when Fred Thompson was the channel 12 newscaster, not an actor running for president)

You remember when channel 15 broadcast pay-tv at night (It was called ON-TV)..

You spent hours watching early music videos on UHF channel 61. Due to the limited number of videos at the time, songs like ‘Down Under’, ‘I Ran’, and ‘Come on, Eileen’ were repeated quite often. You were lucky if you could get
decent reception.
You accompanied your dad to the True Value Hardware store in Westown in hopes of getting to stop at Baskin Robbins afterwards.
You shopped at Valley West Mall before it became a ghost town, and was
ultimately torn down.

You shopped at Phoenix Spectrum Mall when it was known as Chris-Town. (And they used to spray paint the grass along
Bethany Home Road green in the winter)
You woke up to Bruce Kelly in the morning on KZZP. Before that - Jonathon Brandmeier and his ‘loons’!

You remember the only real rock and roll stations were KRIZ and KRUX in the 60’s.

You rode the ‘Tico’ to Park Central.

You remember quality local programming like Open House with Rita Davenport or Sun Spots with Jan DiAtri.

You accompanied your dad to the LaBelle’s catalog showroom to buy your mom’s Christmas present.

Before he was governor, you remember Evan Mecham as the owner of a Pontiac dealership in Glendale.

You remember when Castles ‘n’ Coasters was known as Golf ‘n’ Stuff.

You remember when the entire state of
Arizona only had one area code. Now, there are three in the
Phoenix area alone.

You remember when your phone number that started with ‘959′ and it was changed to ‘840′ and you never knew why.

You remember when Scottsdale Fashion Square was an outdoor mall with Goldwater’s, Bullocks and Lenord’s luggage being the only stores.

You remember when Goldwater’s was bought out by Robinson May who was then bought out by Macy’s.

You remember when Diamonds was bought out by Dillards.

You remember when Diamonds ticket box-was the only place to buy concert tickets.

You remember when it hit 99* and that was considered HOT.

You remember when Big Surf was the place to go to beat the heat. Then hitting the drive inn to see movie across the street.

You remember when best ice cream was found at Thrifty’s Drug Store, where .85 would get you three scoops.

You remember when you wrote all your information down on a piece of paper and then your drivers license was mailed to you. It was very easy to change the 1968 to 1965 (because it was still in your hand writing) so that you could go to
Devil House drinking because the drinking age was 19 years old.

You remember when you could go to Devil House for dancing ‘after hours’ which was from 1am -3am.

You remember going to see ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ at
midnight on Mill Ave.

You remember when 44th Street and Thomas was ‘Thomas Mall’.

You remember when 40th Street and Thomas was ‘Tower Plaza ‘. And there were a few people that climbed to the top and threatened to jump.

You remember when there was a canal at 48th.

You remember when driving up Pima Rd and you could see for miles & miles because there was nothing east or north of
Shea Rd. And it was very dark and scary.

You remember when the only way to get to Shea Rd was thru ‘Dreamy Park’ and there weren’t any streetlights? Squaw Peak was only a name of a mountain. Not a highway.

You remember when you saw a concert at Graham Central Station, because the band was not popular enough to fill Mesa Amphi Theater.

Phoenix was surrounded by orange groves; there would be roadside stands that sold “cactus candy” and “prickly pear jelly”

Baseline road was lined with Japanese flower gardens stretching all the way to the base of South Mountain.

No time to comment at the moment…but here are some scraps that caught my eye:

“Baby boomers are now making the most money they ever have and are the demographic group most likely to visit a fine-dining restaurant at any given time, according to New American Diner data. Older and younger groups may cut back or choose lower-cost options, but baby boomers still will eat at fine restaurants — although they may pick
ones closer to home because of the increase in gas prices.” Restaurants & Institutions
<http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/jDdIcWwScsiEiXCiaKrldvtH?format=standard>

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2004150613_luxsqueeze29.html
NEW YORK — It’s hard to feel sorry for well-heeled shoppers whose idea of tough economic times is passing on $1,000 Burberry raincoats or that $300 limo ride while the working poor skimp on vegetables and take the bus.
But economists say recent signs of the affluent cutting back could hurt the economy and deliver even more pain to lower-income workers, who are dependent on their business and fat tips.

Economy Nearly Stalled in 4th Quarter and Suffers Worst Year Since 2002
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080130/economy.html?.v=4

Japanese restaurants invited to win approval of the sushi squad
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article3273506.ece

So many mouths to feed, and so few cattle. Guess what happens when demand outstrips supply like this?

Tyson Foods cuts 1,500 jobs
http://www.azcentral.com/php-bin/clicktrack/email.php/7745290
The Associated Press
Jan. 25, 2008 05:28 PM EMPORIA, Kan. - Tyson Foods Inc., the world’s largest meat company, said Friday it would end beef slaughtering at its Emporia plant, [in] response to overcapacity at slaughter houses [...] “There continues to be far more beef slaughter capacity than available cattle, and we believe this problem will continue to afflict the industry for the foreseeable future,” Bond said. “We estimate the current slaughter overcapacity in the industry to be between 10,000 and 14,000 head of cattle per day.” [...]
Tyson also said the company didn’t see signs of growth in the fed cattle supply over the next two to three years, and that high grain prices spurred by the demand for corn-based ethanol also contributed to their decision to cut jobs in Emporia.

***
I encourage you to read the entire story linked below. My first impulse was to be enraged at the abuse of regulatory authority to harass the Urban Campfire owner–and I still believe that was wrong. But I also believe that sheltering vagabonds on his property overnight is shortsighted on his part. (Even if they are helpful to him.) What do they do all day, between enjoying the breakfast he feeds them and bunking down on his patio at night?

Restaurant battles smoke, homeless complaints
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/107243
Ed Taylor, TribuneRobert Stempkowski thought he had a good deal going when he opened his Urban Campfire restaurant at 921 E. University in Tempe last summer.
[...]And he cooks his meat and vegetables in an outdoor wood-burning oven, or smoker, which wafts a spicy aroma around the neighborhood and draws customers.
[...]But not all of his neighbors are happy campers. Stephen Austin, owner of the next-door Shell service station, said the smoker also causes a haze that settles over his business on cold mornings, resulting in complaints by customers.
Also Stempkowski provides breakfast to the homeless, and some homeless people have camped overnight on Austin’s property and dumped their belongings there.
Austin said he complained to Stempkowski about the vagabonds, and they agreed to stay on the restaurant property.
[...] Stempkowski considers the repeated smoke complaints and inspections to be “harassment.” [I]nspectors did not find any smoke violations when they responded four times in three days last week.

“Politicians, ugly buildings and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.” Words uttered by the character Noah Cross in Chinatown. (Often attributed to Mark Twain; but doesn’t every pithy-sounding quote for which the attribution is missing get laid at his feet by default?)

Here is how the historic preservation scenario can go terribly wrong, when there are neither concerned developers and property owners nor the political will to pay the true cost of rehabilitation and reuse:

Ruin looms for historic Benson/Raney House
Costs spur Buckeye to kill Raney House’s relocation

Rebekah L. Sanders
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 21, 2008 12:00 AM
The Nels Benson/Raney House, built by one of Buckeye’s first residents in the 1890s, has been the center of preservation efforts for years, but a wrecking crew will tear down the farmhouse by April if no bidders buy it at auction.
[...] “I’m not willing to put another penny into it,” Buckeye Mayor Bobby Bryant said. [...]The home lost its historical value with the move and previous renovations such as aluminum siding, Williams said.

 Light-rail cracks could mean headaches in Tempe, Mesa

http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/0115ev-lightrailwoes0117.html

Inspectors have found at least 11 breaks along the line that stretches from central Phoenix to west Mesa.

Four of those breaks were discovered at First Street and Ash Avenue in Tempe. The problem also was uncovered at Mill Avenue and Third Street and Apache Boulevard and Smith-Martin. No breaks have been discovered in Mesa, but the entire route has not been closely inspected.

Brian Buchanan, director of design and construction, said that repairs or replacing the rail segments would take place in the system’s guideway and wouldn’t likely interfere with vehicle traffic in the street. The light-rail tracks run in the median from east of Sycamore Street along Main Street in Mesa west to Dorsey Lane and Apache Boulevard in Tempe before turning north and jogging around Sun Devil Stadium. From there, they cross Mill Avenue and the Tempe Town Lake to link to Washington Street and continue west to Central Avenue, where the line turns north and eventually ends at Bethany Home Road and 19th Avenue.

Taken together, these two stories tell us we ought to be much happier this year than before. What could be wrong with this logic? And wait for that new federal gas tax–then we will really be bursting with joy:

Wine drinkers got more pleasure from varieties they were told cost more
By DENISE GELLENE
Los Angeles Times

When it comes to wine tasting, pleasure is in the price.[P]eople given two identical red wines got more pleasure from tasting the one they were told cost more.

The study [.]demonstrated for the first time how marketing tactics, such as raising the price of a product, can cause the brain to play tricks on itself.
Researchers [a]sked 20 volunteers to rank their enjoyment of small sips of five differently priced[...]wines while a [.]machine monitored the brain response.
Unbeknown to volunteers, two sets of wine samples were identical — the $5 and $45 wines ($5 actual price) and the $10 and $90 wines ($90 actual price). The fifth wine was identified by its actual $35 price.
Volunteers were asked to rank the pleasantness of the wines. They liked the $90 wine best and the $5 wine least.
Brain scans showed that activity in the part of the brain that detects pleasure also moved in lock-step with price.
[...]the greatest activity when volunteers drank the wine marked $90 and the least activity when they sipped the wine priced at $5. [...]
By manipulating prices, “we can change how wine tastes without changing the wine,” Rangel said. [...]
[...]
Pain is next on the testing list

Wholesale Prices in 2007 at Fastest Pace in 26 Year; Retail Sales Weak, Inventories Stack Up

Tuesday January 15, 10:14 am ET
By Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale inflation last year shot up by the largest amount in 26 years while retailers suffered their worst December shopping season in five years as mounting economic woes caused consumers to put away their wallets.

Meanwhile, retail sales fell by 0.4 percent in December, the worst showing in six months, the Commerce Department reported. Consumer confidence has plunged, reflecting the worsening housing slump and a lingering credit crisis.

There were a few items that caught my eye today, somewhat interrelated. First, I was quite happy to have this editorial called to my attention:

New Monti’s plan a winner for all involved

Tribune Editorial

The Valley’s oldest continuously occupied building —and the airspace above it — has been saved from the bulldozer of progress. So we’d better get this right.The Tempe City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a high-rise development which will surround Monti’s La Casa Vieja, but will not attempt to suspend a 300-foot tower directly over the one-story adobe building, as had been proposed in August.We weren’t crazy about that approach to preserving the structure built on the bank of the then-flowing Salt River by Tempe founder Charles Trumbull Hayden in 1871, but understood the need to update the site, and the steakhouse that’s been there since 1956, to make them economically viable in the future.At the time, we challenged Tempe city officials to protect the old adobe house by coming up with the money to buy it and lease it back to owner Michael Monti, rather than relying on regulation or emotional appeals.They didn’t. But we’ve come out of this with a better plan, which puts the adobe structure at less risk for disintegration by backing the intent of developer 3W Cos. to build the towers away from it. We’re pleased at the unanimous council vote which effectively kills the legal protest filed by adjacent property owner U.S. Airways, allowing Monti to restore both the landmark and his business.

Subsequently I found a nice student-produced video of a hike up “A Butte”, more accurately known as Hayden Butte. The views in the video do a nice job of capturing the present moment, complete with the skeleton of the Avenue Communities Centerpoint project rising in the background. Those panoramas wll be substantially transformed yet again in just a few years. One detail not mentioned in the video is that the City authorities were kind enough to honor my dad i 1995 by naming the trail after him, as a homage to the decades that he and his coterie of friends hiked t on a daily basis.

Video: http://www.azcentral.com/travel/pics/amountainref.jpg

The Leonard Monti Trail in the Hayden Butte Preserve will lead you past a large panel of Hohokam rock art within easy walking distance of the trailhead. For more information on the preserve, visit the Hayden Butte Preserve page or call (480) 350-5200.

Finally, this piece laments the dwindling dude ranch business in our State. It struck a chord with me because my business, too, has had to face change and adapt. When you have been around for generations, your customers and your surroundings change. If you don’t plan for the future and adapt, you become extinct. Oldsmobile and Plymouth are gone; Cadillac is alive and well. There s a reason. You just can’t keep doing the same old things in a changing marketplace and expect better results.

Tucson Dude Ranch Industry Becoming Dud –Associated Press

January 7th, 2008 @ 4:43am

KTAR.COM: Another dude bit the dust in 2007.

Citing difficulty in sustaining a dude guest ranch, the owners of Lazy K Bar Guest Ranch in Marana have leased the property and changed its focus to a venue for weddings and corporate gatherings.

Its departure from the dude ranch scene leaves Tucson with just two spots where guests can check in, saddle up and play cowboy, or cowgirl.

[...]While some smaller ranch owners survived by letting their guests ride on vacant land around their property, Tucson’s growth boxed them in and the sight of rooftops discouraged some visitors, he said.

“Riding through people’s backyards is not the scene people wanted,” said True, who is also vice president of The Dude Ranchers’ Association, a national group.

Part of the dude ranch charm is that they are small, he said, but the operations still incur big-hotel costs such as offering gym facilities and full kitchens.

That, True said, is the bright side of the business.

“There won’t be a chain of Wal-Mart-style dude ranches moving in,” he said. “There’s no money in it.”

Although Tucson’s tourism image is always evolving, interest in the rustic West is still high, said Jonathan Walker, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“The dude ranch and the Wild West culture is still an important part of what we are,” he said.[...]

Evans said encroachment was definitely part of Lazy K’s demise.

“Part of the appeal of a dude ranch is that it’s remote,” he said. “Lazy K is no longer remote.”

[T]he decision to relinquish the dude ranch part of the operation was difficult.“It’s sad for us,” Evans said. “Another dude dies.”