“We’re really focused at Grubstak on the idea of customized comfort food,” Colton Grubb said. “It really gives you the ability to decide what path you want to go – healthy or indulgent – whether you build your meal on top of a base of roasted veggies, waffle fries, mac and cheese, quinoa or even romaine.

“It’s having a combination of these options, so you can really make your own, which is something that was important to me,” Grubb continued.

Grubb is the owner of Grubstak. He opened the restaurant in December 2016 at the Heritage Marketplace in Gilbert after two years of developing the new concept.

The menu offers Grubstak’s signature “staks” and salads, grilled cheese, weekend brunch items and catering.

Grubb’s passion for food and owning a local business comes from his strong family ties to Arizona with his grandfather being Valley automotive icon Lou Grubb.

“He was a potato farmer back in Long Island and he would always describe himself as a farmer first and then a car dealer and avid golfer,” Grubb said. “When people put together the name Grubstak and then ask who I am and they kind of put it together, if they’re from here, my grandfather was a big player in the car business here and my dad as well.

“The Take 5 commercials definitely come up, especially for those people that are middle-aged that would have been seeing those on TV or even hearing them on the radio,” Grubb continued.

A family affair that includes Grubb’s wife, Katie, who spends her time on the weekends helping out at Grubstak.

“When we started dating is when you really started morphing the idea of Grubstak to come about,” Katie said. “I love helping out here. It’s incredible to see what Grubstak has grown to be.”

A business that they wanted to see grow in the Gilbert community.

“We recently decided to move to Gilbert from Phoenix because we wanted to be closer to the restaurant and also really get ingrained into the community here,” Katie said.

“It was important knowing that we would be in Gilbert,” Grubb said. “It’s a community and it’s all about family and our menu, really, someone in [every] family I think can find something for themselves at Grubstak.”

So what does Grubb want people to take away when they come into Grubstak?

“The food was amazing,” Grubb said. “The atmosphere was comfortable and the big thing for me is providing quality customer service and treating people the right way when they dine with us.”