WE CREATE PLACES
restaurant concepts & placemaking
about
WHY WE EXIST
We exist to to serve a need for genuine hospitality and commitment to consistent, excellent quality food. We not only create places you love, we create experiences you will remember. It's not lost on us that you make some of your most cherished memories with us and we honor that.
WHAT WE DO
We are game changers. We invested in the south side of Flagstaff pretty much before anyone else. Now we are expanding beyond!
We are responsible for creating THAT place everyone thinks of now. We didn't just take old buildings and make them interesting by placing successful restaurant concepts in them. We literally created a brand new place that has an identity unlike anything ever before. That's what we do: create what you love.
WHAT WE WANT YOU TO FEEL
"Restaurants don't exist because of a need for food, restaurants exist because of the need for human connection."
We want you to feel that our restaurants are yours. More to the point, we want you to feel like they are a reflection of you. We built them with you in mind.
There is thought and intention behind everything we do. From the way we craft our menus, to the thoughtful delicious ingredients we serve, to how we incorporate technology to serve you better, to the fact that we won't announce new menu items until everyone on staff has been trained and can describe it beautifully.
Everything we do is based on a relentless passion for the illusive art of perfection. A Plato-esque fancy way of saying: everything we do we do for you and because we want it to be perfect.
The spirit behind THAT Place Projects was captured beautifully by Cre818 featuring the owners of THAT Place Projects Kevin Heinonen, Nick Williams and Jeremy Lane.
When you watch this, you will be absolutely clear about the intention behind everything and everyone at all our restaurants.
portfolio
Every Cocktail Tells A Story.
The Annex Cocktail Lounge sits somewhere at the intersection of Bonnie & Clyde, the Santa Fe Railroad and a Victorian Brothel. This is where art deco and victorian era meets the gangster speakeasy of the 1920s. A place where east meets west, where California collides with Arizona; where people passed through or stayed because it reminds them of how places used to be. Led by Chief Spirits Officer, Nick Williams, the Annex tells a story with every cocktail mixed and delivered to you. They don't build towns like Flagstaff anymore, and they don't make lounges quite like the Annex. Come in, be cool, feel like family and relish in the knowledge you know something only the lucky get to know.
Welcome Home
Tourist Home is the center of the community, and the most hospitable start to your day or a perfect mid-day break. Part restaurant, part bakery, part local hub, Tourist Home provides counter service breakfast and lunch starting at 6 a.m. Enjoy made-to-order hot breakfast items (including the BEST breakfast burrito around), soups, salads, sandwiches, espresso drinks, beer, wine, mimosas, and bloody marys. Join friends for conversation or sip hot coffee with a fresh pastry over today’s newspaper. Welcome home.
The Point is You'll Love it.
Tinderbox Kitchen is the perfect place for your Tuesday dinner or your anniversary celebration. Our Flagstaff location has received multiple accolades for the renovation of not only a vacant storefront but of the neighborhood as a whole. Together, with our sister concepts, THAT Place was the first to bring a sense of “specialness” to the Southside of Downtown Flagstaff. THAT Place Project’s Executive Chef Schmitz serves up well-executed spins on American fare and Tinderbox Kitchen has set and maintained a gold standard of quality in Flagstaff that cannot be overstated.
One of a Kind Patio Experience
The Yard is our giant patio situated between Tourist Home and Annex. With a service window to Annex, multiple seating arrangements, fire pits, games and live music (See Annex for Music Schedule) sound is naturally amplified by the historic handball court dating back to the turn of the 20th century. No other patio in Flagstaff has our charm and service levels. Enjoy it year round!
Breaking the rules about what you eat with your hands
Corn & Flour. Coming soon! This Brand exists to fulfill a need for extremely high quality, eclectic fare at a fast pace, & reasonable price.
Mike Schmitz,
Culinary Director, THAT Place Projects
Executive Chef, Tinderbox Kitchen, Annex Cocktail Lounge & Tourist Home All Day Cafe’
Before becoming our Culinary Director and Executive Chef for all THAT Place Project restaurants, Chef Mike Schmitz' culinary journey took him in and around Colorado and Illinois, including a stint at Big Grove Tavern in Champagne Illinois as a line cook. From there he went on to become a pantry cook at Turley's in Boulder Colorado, earning him a turn as a vegetarian chef and a sous chef.
Mike studied chemical engineering before realizing he had a passion for food. Now, 12 years later, learning from his own experiences, his culinary point of view is to "give people what they want, create something for everyone and never alienate people or make them feel confused or stupid." He designs dishes that are approachable but refined. His greatest passion is teaching and grooming other chefs, and his proudest accomplishments are growing all three brands into the profitable, successful, well-reviewed restaurants they are today.
In 2017 Sunset Magazine named Annex one if its “Travel Stars,” and all three restaurants have consistently made the “best of” lists from media sources across Arizona.
Mike believes the most critical part of the day is when he arrives. He touches everything and ensures that everything is in its place so that his team is most successful. Moreover, his standards for quality products is very high. "There is nothing like standing in a strawberry field and tasting a strawberry right there, where it grows, it's magic," he said.
His passion for details extends to offering purposeful dishes for everyone. All vegetarian and vegan recipes are carefully thought out and composed and can "go toe to toe" with any protein centered meal. His favorite ingredients? Smoke Paprika and Avocados.
Mike takes a wholistic (twist on the word intended) approach to his creations. For example, nothing goes to waste. For a duck breast, the entire duck is broken down with absolutely every part going into a dish here, a recipe there, or to create stock for which his sauces are famous.
Rather than outsourcing everything, he is passionate about doing it in-house, like his house-smoked bacon. Everything is purposefully inventive and never stuffy or forced.
He loves a challenge. "Give me the pickiest or fussiest eater or those with dietary restrictions, and I will not just embrace the challenge." He is set on pleasing them beyond their expectations.
In MIke’s kitchen form follows function, poetry follows intention and logistics reigns supreme.
Plus the chicken dish is “sneaky good,” he adds devilishly with a twinkle of pride.
gift cards
Show someone you love them by giving them THAT gift you know they'll love. What better way to say I love you then to give the gift of good taste and lasting memories
contact
Everyone is welcome at THAT Place Projects Restaurants