Walking into Angie’s Prime Grill, the crunch of fresh vegetables being chopped and the sizzle of hormone-and-antibiotic-free chicken searing on the grill fills the room. At this drive-thru and takeout only restaurant, customers place their order on a screen. Every item is packed with organic and fresh produce, and it won’t hurt your wallet. A hearty chicken burrito is just $6.49.

Opened in Tucson in December, Angie’s offers healthy and affordable fast-food, from warm bowls to salads and burritos.

The Phoenix-based restaurant is owned by the founders of Salad-and-Go, which they sold in 2021 when the company had 40 franchises. They also own Angie’s Lobster, which also opened in Tucson late last year and is home of the $9.99 lobster roll. Angie’s is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

That convenience and low prices are especially important for students.

Facing price increases and rising inflation, many students do not have consistent access to food, said Samantha Paredes, a worker at the University of Arizona Campus Pantry, which provides groceries to students free of charge to supplement what they buy. 

During the spring semester, between 500-700 students access the pantry every day, Paredes said.

“With food insecurity, a lot of people think it is just that you don’t have enough money to afford things. But the specific experiences of college students is more than that. Maybe they’re not familiar with the area, they don’t have a car to go anywhere, or maybe they’re working multiple jobs along with their classes so they really lack the time,” Paredes said.  

These situations make options like Angie’s helpful for busy college students who aren’t familiar with Tucson, lack transportation or otherwise face food insecurity. 

Angie’s co-founder Tony Christofellis is glad students are benefiting from the restaurant, but said it’s for everyone in Tucson.

“I think all people should have access to healthy food,” Christofellis said. “Our mission is to make these luxury foods affordable to everyone. We’re not highlighting just students but the people of Tucson as a whole.” 

Christofellis said he values two things when it comes to business: food and people. Angie’s has a vertical horizontal infrastructure, meaning the owners oversee every step, from acquiring the ingredients to serving customers in their restaurants.

“We have our own processing facilities. We make our own drinks and sauces. We also butcher our own chicken and beef,” Christofellis said. “On the seafood side, we buy it off the boats and process the lobster ourselves. We then have our own trucks that take the ingredients from the facilities to our own distribution center.” 

Christofellis said that Angie’s is able to keep costs low by focusing on putting the majority of the money into the food and employees. Angie’s keeps construction costs low and has customers “do the work” of placing orders on screens or through the drive-through.

Angie’s pricing revolves around protein, so each item costs the price of the protein customers choose, whether that’s in the form of a bowl, salad or burrito. 

The restaurant features four protein options: chicken for $6.79, seared falafel patties for $6.79, USDA Prime top sirloin steak for $9.79 and wild-caught Mexican colossal shrimp for $10.99. 

Angie’s prioritizes healthy ingredients and also tries to have as many organic ingredients as possible, Christofellis said. 

“Healthy is really simple. You start off with as many ingredients that are fresh and organic as you can and avoid preservatives or additives,” Christofellis said. “We also cook everything with extra virgin olive oil. A few sauces contain some seed oils, but many sauces and everything coming off the grill is cooked with olive oil.” 

The restaurant also features house-made energy drinks and whole fruit mixers.

UA senior Ethan Lavrusky said he goes to Angie’s because “it is $4 for a bowl at Angie’s and would be like $12 at Chipotle.” 

While students may choose fast-food for the price, Angie’s has maintained lower cost than some of its nearby competitors. 

A chicken burrito bowl at the Chipotle off of Wetmore and Oracle Road costs $9.35. A cheeseburger, fries and a drink at the In-and-Out on Broadway Boulevard and North Dodge Road costs $7.75. A Big Mac Meal with a cheeseburger, fries and a drink from the McDonald’s off of Speedway Boulevard and Campbell Avenue costs $11.89.

Christofellis wants students to be able to say “the food tastes amazing, the ingredients are whole and fresh, I feel good about eating it, and I can get it on the go for a good cost,” he said. “Those things are really important for when you are a college student.”

Angie’s Prime Grill is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Specials are posted on the restaurants Facebook and Instagram, @angiesprimegrill.

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.