Log in

Landmark restaurant

2 decades of Dillon’s; More on horizon

Opened a month before Independent’s first issue

Posted 10/1/19

One night about two years ago, Kurt Molyneux and his girlfriend, Bridgitte Hokinson went out to Dillon’s Bayou at Pleasant Harbor to celebrate his birthday.

When local band Black Horse …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor
Landmark restaurant

2 decades of Dillon’s; More on horizon

Opened a month before Independent’s first issue

Posted

One night about two years ago, Kurt Molyneux and his girlfriend, Bridgitte Hokinson went out to Dillon’s Bayou at Pleasant Harbor to celebrate his birthday.

When local band Black Horse pulled Mr. Molyneux up on stage, it wasn’t a big surprise to Ms. Hokinson.

After all, it was his birthday and he was friends with the band. A birthday song was in order.

Naturally she videoed the experience for posterity. But she was surprised when Mr. Molyneux proceeded to take a knee and proposed to her over the microphone in front of a crowded house.

Ms. Hokinson, now Ms. Molyneux, said the Dillon’s location was one of their first dates, preceded by a spin around the lake on his boat.

So it made perfect sense he would propose to her there. The two were married about a month after the proposal on July 7, 2017. “Thanks to Dillon’s for supporting local music and providing the venue for us to begin the rest of our lives together,” she said.

Landmark events like this aren’t uncommon at the Dil-lon’s restaurants.

Co-owner George Valverde said it has happened many times over the years.

He and co-owner Rich Dillon have built an empire in the West Valley over the last two decades creating memories with return customers like the Molyneux’s.

There have been as many as four locations at one time over the last 20 years.

And a new location — Dillon’s at Western Trails Ranch, in Morristown — will be opening soon.

The Thunderbird location started it all, opening in September of 1999 only a month before the Peoria Independent started hitting driveways.

The location recently closed, but another Peoria mainstay, the Haymaker, is expected to move into the building at the end of October.

Mr. Valverde said when Dillon’s opened back then, the area wasn’t complete — there was still a lot of open land and farms.

He added that everybody said “good luck” because no business had much success at that location, next to a Loop 101 that had not yet been completed and up the street from Westgate and a sports complex that had yet to open. But Peoria was poised for a wave of new development and population growth.

And within six months of being open, the restaurant had already become a favorite among Peorians.

Mr. Valverde credits food and service as keys to success.

“We shook hands with our guests. We treat our guests like they are coming into our house,” he said. “They are not customers. Customers go into Walmart or go to a mechanic to have their tires changed.”

Now the business has three locations in the West Valley. He said focusing on the west side is intentional — staying close allows them to do it right and be able to reach all locations in a day.

And adding to their presence, the company has partnered with the city of Peoria and the Maricopa County Water District for the first annual Peoria County Music Festival, Oct. 19, at Lake Pleasant.

The Dillon’s establishments have long hosted entertainment, so the festival is a natural progression, Mr. Valverde said.

“This is a big deal for us,” he said.

Mr Valverde has been in the restaurant business since he was 16 years old. He said he made it a point to get involved in every aspect of the business from serving to bartending, to eventually reaching the level of general manager and finally owner.

He said he’s learned a lot over the years, namely the importance of good employees.

“Our employees are the ones who have made Dillon’s succeed,” he said. “They have maintained the quality. If it wasn’t for our employees, we wouldn’t have been able to grow the company like we have.”

Each Dillon’s location has attracted different people for different reasons over the years.

The former location at Sun City Grand was Surprise resident Ray Grim’s first Dillon’s experience.

He said it had an upscale and classy feel.

“They all have good food and I really think they’ve done well making all the venues different, all with their own unique atmosphere and ambiance,” he said.

Ms. Molyneux concurred.

“Our family loves Dillon’s. The location at the zoo is the closest restaurant to our house, which is always great for a consistently tasty lunch or dinner shark-side, flamingo-side or with our favorite albino alligator,” she said. “The location at Thunderbird we miss so much as it was the closest Dillon’s to our old house and was the place that we celebrated many family occasions from birthdays to graduations.”

Philip Haldiman can be reached at 623-876-3697, phaldiman@ newszap.com, or on Twitter @ philiphaldiman.