A Tale as Old as the Trail

Rodney "Rod" Graves was born in Spruce Head, Maine, back in 1904. At eleven, he and his family headed west to California. He made it all the way to Stanford University, but life had other plans. Rod had a heart for the wide open, the kind of man most at home under a big sky. As a surveyor for the U.S. Coastal and Geodetic Survey, he helped map the California-Arizona-Mexico borders. His name’s still etched atop Mt. Lassen.

After a stint runnin’ a café in Seligman, Arizona, where he met his future bride, Helen, Rod followed her to Phoenix. They married in 1938 and later settled in the frontier town of Williams. Rod bought and ran the Grand Canyon Tavern for about seven years before his boots itched for somethin’ more, a steakhouse to be exact.

On August 23, 1946, Rod’s dream came true. Rod’s Steak House swung open its doors, servin’ up hearty cuts, warm smiles, and that now-iconic cow-shaped menu. Rod didn’t just serve steak, he served his town. He organized Williams’ first rodeo in 1941 and co-founded the Bill Williams Mountain Men, standin’ proud as their first president. He bought a ranch in 1955 and raised Hereford cattle under the "MJ" brand, a nod to a close friend. That mark still lives on around this steakhouse.

In the 1960s, Rod passed the reins to Jim Pickens, a steady hand who kept the doors open and the steaks comin’. He brought on a young dishwasher named Lawrence Sanchez. Lawrence worked every job in the house, dishes, tables, grill, and eventually, leadin’ the team. By 1985, Jim handed him the keys. Lawrence and his wife, Stella, took the reins and carried Rod’s into a new era with heart and grit. For decades, they kept the tradition alive, same menu, same steaks, same spirit.

Now the torch has passed to us, Kennelly Concepts. We didn’t just buy a building, we took on a legacy. Rod’s Steak House holds a special place in Arizona’s story, and we’re honored to carry it forward with care, respect, and a whole lotta heart.