The downtown Phoenix sandwich shop that became a viral sensation is about to get a lot bigger. Robb and Ashley Hammond, owners of First & Last in the historic Gold Spot Building at Roosevelt and Third Avenue, are taking over the space next door once a yoga studio moves out, with plans to build a combined restaurant, market and patio called First & Last Focacceria & Market.
From Neighborhood Joint to Must-Try Spot
First & Last opened in 2022 as a low-key neighborhood restaurant, according to Phoenix New Times. Two years later, the Hammonds expanded their hours and added sandwiches and grandma-style pizza slices, setting the stage for what came next. The turning point arrived when former Bachelor contestant Matt James showed up for lunch and posted a review of the restaurant's chicken parm-style sandwich, instantly turning First & Last into a must-try destination.
Within 48 hours of James posting his video, lines of people formed outside hoping to get their hands on the now-famous Little Jerry sandwich, the outlet's earlier report on viral Phoenix restaurants noted. Lines stretched down the block and the restaurant regularly sold out. Co-owner Robb Hammond has said James's visit led to business doubling at breakneck speed, and that when First & Last launched a lunch menu in September 2024, sales ran roughly 40% above what he and Ashley had hoped for.
A Focaccia Factory in the Basement
Rather than chase the viral moment by opening additional locations, the Hammonds poured their success back into the original restaurant. Hammond has said Little Jerry's popularity opened up many possibilities, but the couple chose to invest in what they already had. That included closing their basement bar, Little Debbie's, and converting it into a micro focaccia factory, where First & Last now makes focaccia, sourdough and seasonal semolina bastoni.
Now the bakery's success is driving an even bigger bet: absorbing the yoga studio space next door once that tenant moves out of the Gold Spot Building, which turned 100 years old in 2025. The plan is to expand the patio from a cramped 60 square feet to roughly 1,000 square feet, with seating for about 50 diners, plus dog-friendly areas, planters, trees, umbrellas and misters.
The expansion also extends a use the building was designed for: Gold Spot opened in 1925 as one of Phoenix’s first shopping centers built to serve a specific residential neighborhood. Its shops included Gordon’s Grocery, which operated for nearly four decades beginning in 1948. The building’s history as a neighborhood shopping center gives the planned market a local precedent beyond its Italian provisions.
Market, Pasta Lab and a New Bar
Hammond plans to retrofit the former studio's office into a dedicated bread- and pasta-making space. The expanded restaurant, set to be called First & Last Focacceria & Market, will offer sandwiches, soups, salads, pastas, deli items and seasonal salads, with seating spread across the market, the new patio and the original dining room.
The market side of the business will sell bread loaves, grab-and-go items, soups and sauces, along with heat-and-eat chicken alfredo and lasagna. Shoppers will also find Italian groceries like artichokes, roasted peppers and tinned fish, plus wine. The existing restaurant is also set to get new furniture and a refreshed bar as part of the overhaul.
The addition enters a downtown dining scene that has grown substantially: Downtown Phoenix Inc.’s June 2026 figures count more than 250 restaurants and bars downtown, nearly 80% locally owned, with 185 net new bars and restaurants since 2008. The same report puts the downtown population at 25,118, up from 9,051 in 2000, a broader shift toward a larger residential customer base for neighborhood businesses.
Timeline Still Taking Shape
Hammond hopes to have the new patio ready by late December or early January, with demolition of the former yoga studio planned to begin around the same time. The entire expansion is anticipated to wrap up in spring 2027, around April or May, though First & Last may close for a week next year to handle finishing touches. Those dates remain the owners' current targets rather than confirmed completion milestones.
