Mr Pickles makes Arizona debut

Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop has opened its first Arizona-based location, in Scottsdale, at 10701 N. Scottsdale Road

“Since 1995, Mr. Pickle’s has been a premier sandwich shop specializing in innovative and craveworthy sandwiches, salads and catering,” CEO Mike Nelson said in a company press release.”During its first three decades, thanks to its community culture, incredible recipes, and all its fans, the brand grew from one to 56 locations across northern California. We look forward to building this brand that now calls Arizona home, as well as helping grow it nationwide in the years to come.”

In addition to carrying its full menu and adding recipes that fit the market, Mr. Pickle’s will continue to its relationships with vendors as it grows, notably Frito-Lay, Dirty Chip, Pepsi, Foster Farms, Max’s Artisan Breads, Best Foods and Hidden Valley. It also partners with DoorDash and invested in Paytronix Systems Inc. to offer a digital guest experience platform.

“We partner with as many artisan bakers, regional farms and ranches that we can when sourcing our products, making every item unique to us,” said Nelson, who bought the brand in 2020 and has spent the past year bringing its into the digital age. “You will not see six-inch and foot-long sizing from us, more specialty breads than uniform options.”

With Nelson’s purchase of the brand, he moved its national headquarters from California to Arizona in 2022, opening an office at 9332 Raintree in Scottsdale. Its franchisee support center is located in California.

In addition to launching the Scottsdale headquarters and opening the first Arizona location, Nelson — a veteran of the restaurant business with over 30 years of experience as an owner and operator of Wingstop, Subway Restaurants and Carl’s Jr. franchises nationwide — will open a handful of Mr. Pickles locations across the Valley over the next 18 months, including a second location in Scottsdale as well as restaurants in Chandler, Laveen, Surprise and Queen Creek. The brand also continues expansion in California, with up to 20 locations over the next seven years.