J. Alexander's is bringing its scratch-kitchen, wood-fired menu to Gilbert, opening a new restaurant at 2192 SanTan Village Parkway inside the sprawling Signature at SanTan Village development. The upscale chain is seeking to hire 90 to 100 front- and back-of-house staff members ahead of the opening, running a hiring site and a full-day recruitment event on October 28.
The Gilbert restaurant marks J. Alexander's second Arizona location, following its debut in the state just last year at 7111 West Ray Road in neighboring Chandler, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. The new Gilbert spot sits within a $145 million, 30-acre retail project, near other national restaurant openings.
Hiring is set to happen fast. The chain is running its recruitment push from a site at SpringHill Suites Phoenix Gilbert, culminating in the dedicated hiring event later this month, as reported by FSR Magazine. The recruitment push aims to fill 90 to 100 positions.
A Crowded Corner for Steak and Seafood
J. Alexander's won't have the area to itself. The restaurant is entering a dining cluster along SanTan Village Parkway that already includes Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão, which opened in August, and Texas-based Perry's Steakhouse & Grille, which opened in June, per the same Business Journal report. The corridor includes several upscale restaurants, including steakhouses and seafood offerings.
The broader Signature at SanTan Village project, a joint venture between Kensington Development Partners and IM Properties, spans 300,000 square feet of retail and dining space anchored by Whole Foods Market and Dick's Sporting Goods' House of Sport, according to Commercial Property Executive. Figures attributed to Kensington by that outlet show the site's primary five-mile demographic includes nearly 54,000 residents with an average household income exceeding $120,800, numbers that help explain why so many premium dining brands have been willing to compete for a presence there.
Corporate Backing Fuels the Push Upscale
J. Alexander's growth is tied to decisions made well above the Gilbert dining room. Parent company SPB Hospitality took the chain private in a $220 million all-cash deal in September 2021, backed by private equity manager Fortress Investment Group, according to a release distributed via PR Newswire. More recently, industry veteran G.J. Hart, previously the chief executive at both Red Robin and Texas Roadhouse, took over as SPB Hospitality's CEO in September 2025 after the company shed several brewery and pizza brands to concentrate on upscale casual growth, Restaurant Dive reported.
The Gilbert restaurant adds another location to J. Alexander's footprint.
Part of a Bigger Gilbert Shift
One recent Gilbert opening is modern Latin restaurant The Mission, which opened at Epicenter at Agritopia in February. J. Alexander's entry adds another national dining brand to Gilbert.
