It was March 3, 1978 when Wendy Borenstein-Tucker, now executive vice president of Chompie’s, with family in tow, first arrived in Arizona. “They had decided before they left New York that Arizona was in desperate need of a place to buy real, ‘water bagels,’” the article tells us. Bagels like the ones they had back home.
Lovey Borenstein, Wendy’s mother, had experience in catering and both of Wendy’s brothers, Mark and Neal, had worked in places making bagels. What resulted was a family labor of love. “The first Chompie’s was located in a strip mall at the 32nd Street and Shea Boulevard in Phoenix...Their earliest customers were the kids attending Shadow Mountain.” Those kids are now bringing their kids. For the owners and their customers, Chompie’s is a family affair.
They now have locations in Paradise Valley Mall, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, and the latest one, at Arrowhead Towne Center in Glendale. There are many ways to partake in Chompie’s the restaurant, the bakery, the bagel factory, the deli, and the caterer. Every year Chompie’s donates more than $100,000 to nonprofit organizations. They also gave back during, “Red for Ed” - extending their military discount to teachers and their children.
