The Story of an Arizona Internet Pioneer
In the late 1990s, the Internet was still new territory.
Most restaurants did not have websites. Many restaurant owners had never used email, and the idea of purchasing a gift certificate online seemed risky to many consumers. Search engines were primitive, social media did not exist, and smartphones were still years away.
It was during this time that AZeats.com was born.
Registered on February 19, 1998, AZeats began with a simple idea: help Arizona restaurants establish a meaningful presence on the Internet. But as the company evolved, it became much more than a website development business. Over the next decade, AZeats pioneered ideas that helped restaurants reach new customers while making it easier for the public to discover places to dine throughout Arizona.
More Than a Website Company
Many web developers of the era built a website, collected their payment, and moved on to the next customer.
AZeats took a different approach.
One lesson came from an earlier business experience in offsite records management. There, a single box stored in a warehouse might generate only a small monthly fee, but hundreds or thousands of boxes created a stable business through recurring revenue.
That thinking influenced AZeats from the very beginning.
Rather than building one restaurant website at a time and continually starting over, every new restaurant became another part of a growing network. Each client added to the company's recurring revenue, creating a stronger foundation for future growth.
A Better Way to Be Found
Building a restaurant website was only part of the challenge.
In 1998, having a website did not guarantee anyone would find it.
A single restaurant could have an excellent website, but without today's search engines and social media, it was difficult for diners to discover it.
AZeats solved that problem by bringing restaurants together.
Instead of dozens of isolated restaurant websites scattered across the Internet, AZeats created a central destination where diners could begin their search. Visitors could browse restaurants, discover new places to eat, and then continue to the individual restaurant websites.
The concept benefited everyone.
Looking back, this philosophy would influence almost everything the company developed in the years that followed.
Evolution Rather Than a Master Plan
One of the most surprising discoveries during this history project has been recognizing how AZeats actually grew.
It was not built from a detailed ten-year business plan.
Instead, the company evolved.
Each new service began as a practical solution to a real-world problem.
One example illustrates this perfectly.
During the slow summer months, after many winter visitors had returned north, some Phoenix-area restaurants struggled with cash flow. One prospective client wanted an AZeats website but asked whether payment could be made in restaurant gift certificates instead of cash.
Rather than lose the client, the offer was accepted.
At first, the arrangement simply helped one restaurant become a customer.
Then other restaurants began making similar offers.
Eventually, AZeats accumulated more restaurant gift certificates than could possibly be used personally. Gift certificates could not pay the mortgage or buy groceries.
A new problem had appeared.
The solution was to begin selling restaurant gift certificates online.
That decision eventually grew into one of the company's defining services.
The same pattern repeated itself throughout the history of AZeats.
A challenge appeared.
A practical solution was developed.
That solution often created an entirely new opportunity.
Gift certificates, printable coupons, restaurant events, virtual tours, and other innovations all emerged through this process of continual evolution rather than from a predetermined roadmap.
Creating Win-Win-Win Relationships
As the business matured, one philosophy became increasingly clear.
The best ideas benefited everyone involved.
Internally, this became a simple way of evaluating opportunities:
Gift certificates illustrate this philosophy well.
Restaurants could often pay for marketing services with something that cost them far less than its face value.
The public received genuine discounts and convenient gifts.
AZeats transformed those certificates into operating revenue that allowed the company to continue growing.
The same thinking appeared again with printable coupons, restaurant promotions, and many other services developed over the years.
An Expanding Vision
As Internet technology improved, AZeats expanded with it.
Restaurant websites became more sophisticated.
More photography was added.
Printable coupons encouraged repeat visits.
Online gift certificate purchasing became commonplace.
Interactive 360-degree virtual tours allowed diners to explore restaurants before arriving.
Television partnerships, public events, and community promotions introduced thousands of people to both AZeats and its restaurant partners.
Each addition strengthened the value of the entire network rather than replacing what had come before.
Why Preserve This History?
The Internet changes quickly.
Thousands of websites that once helped shape the early Web have disappeared without leaving much behind.
AZeats was part of an important period in Internet history.
Long before online reservations, food delivery apps, review platforms, and social media marketing became common, AZeats was helping independent restaurants establish an online presence and introducing diners to new places throughout Arizona.
Many of the restaurants featured on AZeats have since changed ownership, relocated, or closed. Some of the technologies that once seemed revolutionary are now obsolete.
Yet the ideas, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit behind the company remain worth preserving.
This project seeks to document not only what AZeats built, but how it evolved, the people who made it possible, and the lessons learned along the way.
This Is Version 1
The history presented here is only the beginning.
At the time this page was written, the AZeats History Project is still underway. Original documents, archived websites, photographs, business records, interviews, and personal recollections are continuing to be examined year by year.
Future additions will include:
Like AZeats itself, this history continues to evolve.
We invite former employees, restaurant owners, business partners, customers, and anyone connected with AZeats to share photographs, documents, memories, and stories that can help preserve this unique chapter of Arizona Internet and restaurant history for future generations.
