How does the saying go? When one door closes, another one opens. For Tucker Woodbury and Jim Riley, The Genuine is one door closing, while The VIG will open its eighth location in Paradise Valley next year.
Woodbury and Riley are co-founders of Genuine Concepts, a hospitality company behind the namesake restaurant, The VIG and other Valley restaurants and bars, including The Little Woody, The Womack, The McMillan and Campo Italian Bistro & Bar.
“The Genuine has meant a lot to our team and the surrounding community. It’s been a space filled with creativity, hospitality, and connection,” Woodbury said in a news release. “We’re incredibly proud of what we built here, and while it’s always bittersweet to say goodbye, we’re equally excited about the future.”
After three years, the uptown restaurant and corresponding corporate offices on the northeast corner of 16th St. and Bethany Home Road closed on Sept. 4. The building has been sold, and the Genuine team will begin the process of moving out next week.
According to the company, all staff members will be relocated to existing restaurants as the owners shift focus to the core brand, The VIG. The building, however, was previously home to a location of The VIG until the company closed that restaurant and opened The Genuine in its place in 2022.
The decision to shut down and sell out came after a Phoenix-based hospitality company with “big plans for the building arose,” according to the release. What those plans are and who will be moving into the well-known neighborhood has yet to be announced.
“The time has come for us to expand our corporate office, and continue fueling the growth of The VIG and our other projects,” the company said in an Instagram post announcing the closure. In the same post, patrons were invited to pour one out during the final signature Thursday night $5 martini hour, which, to the relief of devastated Genuine lovers, will be a continued happy hour staple at The VIG.
Love for the restaurant was also shared online as patrons reminisced over the years the Genuine Concepts hospitality group was in the building, with one commenter putting it simply, “day = ruined.” Others shared their go-to staples, such as the Mediterranean salad and mushroom pizza.
While the time spent at The Genuine is held near and dear for many, the company is focusing on growing The VIG. The Valley staple has seven locations, with the new Paradise Valley spot in the works. Established classics will be on offer, such as truffle parmesan fries with truffle goat cheese dip, grilled chicken chopped salad, hot honey chicken and turkey club sandwiches, chicken rigatoni pesto, poblano chicken enchiladas and more.
The restaurant will be housed in a new custom-designed building located in the 100-acre revitalization of the former Paradise Valley Mall. It will feature a large patio with plenty of cozy seating and floor-to-ceiling windows that open, joining the inside space with the outdoors.
The overall design will pay homage to Paradise Valley's mid-century roots while keeping the same upscale food and casual, comfortable ambience that The VIG is known for.
“The VIG brand continues to evolve in ways that honor each neighborhood we join," Woodbury said in the release. "Paradise Valley will be no exception."
The VIG
Opening in 2026
Woodbury and Riley are co-founders of Genuine Concepts, a hospitality company behind the namesake restaurant, The VIG and other Valley restaurants and bars, including The Little Woody, The Womack, The McMillan and Campo Italian Bistro & Bar.
“The Genuine has meant a lot to our team and the surrounding community. It’s been a space filled with creativity, hospitality, and connection,” Woodbury said in a news release. “We’re incredibly proud of what we built here, and while it’s always bittersweet to say goodbye, we’re equally excited about the future.”
After three years, the uptown restaurant and corresponding corporate offices on the northeast corner of 16th St. and Bethany Home Road closed on Sept. 4. The building has been sold, and the Genuine team will begin the process of moving out next week.
According to the company, all staff members will be relocated to existing restaurants as the owners shift focus to the core brand, The VIG. The building, however, was previously home to a location of The VIG until the company closed that restaurant and opened The Genuine in its place in 2022.
The decision to shut down and sell out came after a Phoenix-based hospitality company with “big plans for the building arose,” according to the release. What those plans are and who will be moving into the well-known neighborhood has yet to be announced.
“The time has come for us to expand our corporate office, and continue fueling the growth of The VIG and our other projects,” the company said in an Instagram post announcing the closure. In the same post, patrons were invited to pour one out during the final signature Thursday night $5 martini hour, which, to the relief of devastated Genuine lovers, will be a continued happy hour staple at The VIG.
Love for the restaurant was also shared online as patrons reminisced over the years the Genuine Concepts hospitality group was in the building, with one commenter putting it simply, “day = ruined.” Others shared their go-to staples, such as the Mediterranean salad and mushroom pizza.
While the time spent at The Genuine is held near and dear for many, the company is focusing on growing The VIG. The Valley staple has seven locations, with the new Paradise Valley spot in the works. Established classics will be on offer, such as truffle parmesan fries with truffle goat cheese dip, grilled chicken chopped salad, hot honey chicken and turkey club sandwiches, chicken rigatoni pesto, poblano chicken enchiladas and more.
The restaurant will be housed in a new custom-designed building located in the 100-acre revitalization of the former Paradise Valley Mall. It will feature a large patio with plenty of cozy seating and floor-to-ceiling windows that open, joining the inside space with the outdoors.
The overall design will pay homage to Paradise Valley's mid-century roots while keeping the same upscale food and casual, comfortable ambience that The VIG is known for.
“The VIG brand continues to evolve in ways that honor each neighborhood we join," Woodbury said in the release. "Paradise Valley will be no exception."
The VIG
Opening in 2026
12780 N. Tatum Blvd.
