Referring to principles such as freedom and justice, Winston Churchill said, “All the great things are simple.” And while it wouldn’t be fair to compare a meal, however good, to those lofty virtues, it’s true that Prescott’s b. simple has elevated the humble breakfast. Its generous portions and Southwest-inspired menu have won over Prescott diners, who voted the tiny café best breakfast in the Quad Cities area the past two years.
Doug Weckerly and his wife, Laura, opened b. simple in a small, unassuming space in 2020. Weckerly, who launched popular restaurant chains in New Mexico and Colorado, built b. simple’s menu on the same elements that made his earlier restaurants beloved: butter browns — his take on hash browns — and large, fluffy biscuits with house-made jams.
“We’re known for our browns and our biscuits,” says Jose Sanchez, who bought b. simple with his wife, Katherine Velasco, in 2022. “Those are the two things people have to have.”
Browns form the base for most breakfast items, including the Ken, which adds three eggs, a buttered and griddled biscuit smothered in bacon-sausage gravy, and thick-cut bacon or house-made sausages; the Hash, with house-made corned beef and green chile; and burritos large enough to feed a family of four. The latter feature six eggs, cheeses and a choice of carne adovada, Hatch green chile brisket, chorizo, sausage or diced bacon.
Born in Lordsburg, New Mexico, Sanchez grew up cooking with his grandmother and attended Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Scottsdale. He was working as executive chef at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility, near Las Cruces, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Around that time, a friend bought a convenience store on Prescott’s Sheldon Street. Sanchez came to help him get set up for food service, then fell for the town. “So, I called Kathy and she came out three days later, and we never went back,” he says. “We set up shop in there and did really well.”
When Weckerly was looking to move to Wyoming, the couple saw an opportunity. “It was perfect for us,” says Sanchez, who kept the menu but tweaked the recipes. They liked that it was small, and they liked the name. “I always say, ‘Keep it simple,’ ” he says — in other words, stick to a few bold ingredients that work well together.
In September, b. simple added lunch items, reassembling those bold ingredients into burgers, sandwiches and salads. Lunch burritos and street tacos feature the same New Mexico-style options. If you dare, try the Ranch Hand, a half-pound burger piled with smoked brisket, pulled pork, bacon and cheddar.
Good food. Generous portions. Reasonable prices. Who could argue these aren’t great things? Or could b. simpler?
b. simple
220 S. Montezuma Street
Prescott, AZ
United States