MacAlpine's, the nearly 100-year-old diner and soda fountain at 7th Street and Oak in midtown Phoenix, is throwing a “Save-Our-Soda-Shop” benefit on Saturday, July 18, from 4 to 7 p.m. The plan is simple and very on brand: music, milkshakes and live DJ sets while neighbors and longtime regulars chip in to keep the bright yellow storefront open. Tickets are $25, which covers a drink ticket and storewide discounts, and the fundraiser is the latest attempt to stabilize the business after a pandemic-era closure and a community-fueled comeback.
Fundraiser This Weekend
According to Axios, the $25 admission gets guests into a lineup of live performances and DJ sets, plus that drink ticket and discounts across the shop, with all proceeds going to MacAlpine's. Organizers are urging attendees to dress from their favorite decade for a night pitched as “music, memories and, of course, milkshakes.”
Historic Roots And Recent Reopening
MacAlpine's began life in 1929 as Birch's 7th Street Pharmacy before eventually taking on the MacAlpine name. It is known for its old-school soda fountain, an extensive ice-cream-soda list and a strong pie game, as Phoenix New Times reports. The shop closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and later returned to steady service in 2024 with help from the surrounding community, per AZFamily.
Where The Money Stands
The diner's GoFundMe currently lists $38,385 raised toward a $93,500 target from nearly 700 donors, and the campaign details the repair and operating costs that owners say they need to cover. Saturday's benefit is one of several revenue pushes, alongside pie sales and gift-certificate promotions, described on the campaign page as part of a broader effort to steady the business, according to GoFundMe.
Owner Monica Heizenrader writes on the fundraiser page that “MacAlpine’s is at risk of closing forever” and says she has already tapped savings and loans while selling pies and gift cards to keep the doors open. The campaign casts the benefit as a bid to fund essential fixes, including an aging AC unit and other building work, so the diner can keep serving future generations, per GoFundMe.
Why This Matters
Independent restaurants are still getting squeezed by high food and labor costs and by changing customer habits, trends documented in the James Beard Foundation's 2026 independent-restaurant report and the National Restaurant Association's 2026 State of the Industry analysis. Those headwinds help explain why fundraisers like this one, along with other creative money-makers, have become standard tools for single-location operators trying to hang on in the post pandemic landscape.
How To Help
The event runs 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at MacAlpine's, 2303 N. 7th St., and tickets are $25 at the door, according to Axios. For current hours, pie orders and other ways to support the diner beyond Saturday's party, visit the official website at MacAlpine's. Organizers note that community events have helped keep the place alive before, and they are hoping another strong turnout will buy this Phoenix landmark a little more time.
