Marketable Idea

Market Bistro takes your average salad and grilled meal to the next level

By Allie Bell

Trying to break into the “quick casual” market by going up against places like Sauce, Chipotle and Pei Wei would not be the first goal for most “green” restaurant owners. However, Market Bistro’s co-owner and founder, Jim Field, felt that in June 2004, it was the perfect time to test his salad, sandwich and grill idea.

Located at 777 E. Thunderbird Road, the family-owned business is Field’s first restaurant concept. But like all good ideas, the bistro took several years to get to the point where he could turn his dream into a reality.
“I wanted the idea of a salad buffet, but I wanted to take it up a notch by using gourmet ingredients and having others serve it for you,” Field says. “That was the foundation for Market Bistro. I developed the idea for the grill and sandwiches over time. Then when the time was right, I ran with it.”

His first step was to create a hip atmosphere where customers would immediately notice that the concept was something out of the ordinary. Exclaim Designs in Scottsdale helped come up with the utilitarian decor, which includes the prominent touch of market-style lighting.

“I had no idea at the beginning how to pull this off,” Field says. “I just knew what I wanted and the feeling and vibe I wanted to achieve.”

Matt Carter, executive chef for Zinc Bistro, helped Field develop Market Bistro’s solid menu. A big challenge was developing recipes that were easy to repeat and training others how to make them, as well as ensuring the menu was just as tasty and appealing as those in high-end restaurants.

“Originally we didn’t plan to have this many salads,” Field says, “but we couldn’t decide which to keep, so we kept them all.”

Field later added his touch to the menu with his The Market and The # Two pizzas.

Despite the challenges, stresses and hardships of running a new restaurant, Field has been pleasantly surprised by the bistro’s overall reception, loyal clientele, hard working family environment and upcoming expansion.

“It’s hard to establish a new concept and get a following like we have,” he says.

The new Market Bistro location is set to be at 64th Street and Greenway.
“We’ve been working on this for a while,” says Field. “At the very first of (next) year we should have our second location open.”

www.mktbistro.com