In 1985 while attending college at Florida International University, Andy LiButti came up with an idea for a restaurant that offered a family-friendly environment and where people could come to enjoy good food, with a friendly staff and sports to watch.
This plan, although well thought out, needed assistance to get off the ground. The timetable for that aid came later down the line, however.
At the point of being “basically homeless,” LiButti met his current partner, Peggy Young, who was the help he needed to tip the scales and open the first Booty’s Wings Burgers and Beer location in May 2012.
“There wouldn’t be a Booty’s without her,” LiButti said.
From there, business slowly grew, and more people became aware of the rising food joint. The business opened two more locations in 2014 and 2019, offering their food and environment to the Surprise, Buckeye and Goodyear communities.
Through this time, though, LiButti was dedicated to making a stamp on the Buffalo wing world, as he decided to take his talents in the kitchen national by attending the National Buffalo Wing Festival. From there, Booty’s slowly became a staple, winning a total of 18 awards since 2012.
The culminating experience, however, was still to come, as after its most recent participation in the competition, it joined the upper echelon of the industry, being inducted into the National Buffalo Wing Hall of Fame, in Buffalo, New York.
Booty’s now joins the likes of industry giants like Buffalo Wild Wings, WingStop and Frank’s Red Hot.
“I mean, it means everything,” LiButti said. “It’s the feather in the cap of over 11 years of working hard and trying to make this business succeed.”
Booty’s has become a statewide and national name through its successes in competitions and has been recognized numerous times throughout the years.
Most recently, it was ranked the No. 1 place for wings in America by national outlets, and it has used that momentum to improve its menu and culture year by year.
“It really does mean a lot; the relationships that we’ve made with staff, the relationships we’ve made with customers, watching our people grow and, that to me is what it’s all about,” LiButti said. “We’re not about profits. It’s more about people than the profits. We try to give everybody a good quality of life.
“So that that really means a lot to us.”
Booty’s offers over 40 different sauces and rubs for its wings to go along with a built-out menu to interest anyone looking for a bite to eat. With pretzel bites and fries to burgers and hot dogs all made from scratch, Booty’s has something for everyone.
“I create all the menu items, all the recipes and everything,” LiButti said. “So, it’s not your typical bar food. We try to make sure that it’s super good quality. We want to differentiate ourselves from all the other places that are similar to us, but we know that their food can’t be nearly the quality of what we serve.”
Now a member of the Hall of Fame, LiButti’s reflection of his business comes back with nothing but pride, and that this recognition serves as the motivation to keep serving the West Valley the way he dreamt about all those years ago.
“We are extremely proud; Peggy and I are just so proud,” he said. “We were both single parents with young kids. Failure was not an option. We were going to make this work, and we work very well together to stay on top of everything and really create that family atmosphere both for the staff and the guests.
“The pride that we take every day — if it’s someone that is just raving about how good the food is or raving about the service or the atmosphere, the amount of people that are regulars at all three locations — speaks volumes to the culture of Booty’s.
“I would have to say the proudest thing of what Booty’s means to me and Peggy is we were able to create our culture based around family.”
Booty’s Wings Burgers and Beer
13375 W. McDowell Road, Suite 101, Goodyear
1300 S. Watson Road, Suite 109, Buckeye
15557 W. Bell Road, Suite 405, Surprise
