Want to know a bit more about eegee's?
Two guys, Ed Irving and Bob Greenberg, started out with a truck and a lemon product that is closely described as a mixture of Italian Ice and Shaved Ice and turned it into a 23-location restaurant chain still selling their signature frozen fruit drink.
Ed or Bob started by serving their lemon eegee’s drink in front of high schools, at sporting events or concerts. Today you can still order the same lemon eegee’s that Bob and Ed first started selling in ’71. There are now more flavors to choose from and food including sandwiches and other baked goods.
Since its inception, eegee’s has donated time, food and money to local charities as well as instituting the community recycling program Recycling for People First!
In 1992, eegee’s decided that ordering their ingredients from distributors wasn’t the right solution for providing the freshness and consistent quality they insist on, so they opened the eegee’s food-preparation facility. All of the eegee’s food is prepared here fresh before being delivered to the many locations daily.
In 2006, the eegee’s restaurants changed hands from Ed Irving and Bob Greenberg to the O’Connor family (CEO Foods, Inc.), continuing the family-owned-and-operated tradition on which eegee’s was founded.
In the Community
eegee’s is deeply involved with many community organizations. The company sponsors several events each year and contributes products to hundreds of organizations.Annually, eegee’s donates more than 375,000 loaves of its day-old bread to the Casa Maria Soup Kitchen to help feed the hungry and homeless of Tucson.
The Salvation Army receives more than 900 pounds of meat and cheese from eegee’s each month.
The company has also received national recognition for its community recycling program, Recycling for People First! – instituted in 1987.
In 1995, eegee’s received the Governor’s Pride in Arizona Award for the best recycling program in cities of 80,000 or more residents.
Also in 1995, eegee’s was the recipient of the Tucson Advertising Federation’s first William M. Clements Community Service Award.
Also in 1995, eegee’s was the recipient of the Tucson Advertising Federation’s first William M. Clements Community Service Award.
In November 1999, the company received the National Society of Fund Raising Executives’ Corporate Philanthropy Award in recognition of eegee’s ongoing fund-raising programs for Tucson nonprofit organizations.
Quick Facts
- eegee’s has been ranked the #1 caterer in Tucson by number of events catered.
- 50 tons of french fries are sold every year.
- The Coupon Card Program has allowed a donation of over $2M has been donated since 1997 to local charities.
- eegee’s produced 1.16 million gallons of eegee’s frozen fruit drink in 2013.
- eegee's now offers sugar-free Skinny Berry which is sweetened with natural Truvia.
- Customers called the frozen fruit drink "eegee’s" after the creators nicknames. "e" for Ed Irving and "g" for Bob Greenberg.
- eegee's has 44 hourly employees that have worked there over 10 years.
- eegee’s makes and packages the delicious ranch dressing from scratch with fresh buttermilk.
- eegee’s donates over 8000 rolls each month to Casa Maria Soup Kitchen, Interfaith Community Services and St. Cyrils.
- eegee’s bakes and delivers between 300-450 DOZEN fresh sandwich rolls every day.
Sustainability
