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His chef-driven menu, from the fan-favorite escargot in white wine and garlic butter to the Cajun-leaning Pappardelle Diablo pasta with chorizo and lump crab in a decadent cream sauce, did not travel well.

But , the menu of his food truck that he introduced in early 2019, had potential.

The sandwiches had catchy names inspired by Dante employees and other people in Foy's life: the decadent Dirty Pablo with beef chorizo and smoked poblano peppers; Fancy Pants with beef rillette, gruyere cheese and truffle oil on toasted rye; and the OG Sexy Grilled Cheese — toasted pretzel bread with a trio of melty cheeses including mozzarella and Provolone paired with shaved Spanish chorizo and red onion jam.

Sexy Grilled Cheese provided Dante's a lifeline.

"It was getting to a point where it's doing $20,000 a month just in to-go sales on that kind of stuff," Foy said. "And it still does reasonably well; it's got a following."

Even after the restaurant reopened in summer 2020, Foy continued serving grilled cheese at Dante's, although it wasn't on the menu of his modestly upscale restaurant. It was sort of a secret menu; if you knew to ask, the kitchen would oblige.

In late April, Sexy Grilled Cheese will be front and center as Dante's undergoes a menu overhaul to a more decidedly casual persona.

"So we want to keep it casual, keep it fun, keep some of the heart and soul of the place, but have it where it's not necessarily a chef-driven concept anymore," said Foy, a two-time Tucson Iron Chef who studied cooking in Washington, D.C., and spent about eight years as executive chef at Tucson Country Club before opening Dante's.

Foy said he plans to rechristen his 13-year-old restaurant at 2526 E. Grant Road as Dante's Tavern and lean into the Sexy Grilled Cheese and Salad menu alongside some of his more popular dishes.

He and his business partner, Arizona Pizza Co. owner Nick Heddings, are considering adding pool tables in the restaurant's back room and creating more of a bar-restaurant vibe that he says is missing in East Grant Road's restaurant district.

The changes will coincide with Foy's plans to take Sexy Grilled Cheese and Salad to a virtual kitchen in Tempe.

"It kind of serves that, I don't want to say it out loud, but ASU kind of demographic," he said with a laugh. "It's close to the university and it's a really great spot to put that concept. And we've always wanted to see what kind of legs (the concept) would have outside of Tucson."

Foy is not making the move alone.

Tucson food trucks Taco Stop and will share the space in the 1900 E. Fifth St., where orders are taken through third-party apps or in person through a communal kiosk. Robots will then deliver orders from the kitchen making the operation truly touch-free, said Taco Stop owner Nick Villard.

Villard was the one who suggested that Foy and CP's Wings' chef-owner Cornelius Poston test the Tempe waters after meeting a food court representative who was vacationing in Tucson. When he learned that multiple concepts could operate out of a single kitchen, he pitched the idea to his longtime mentor Foy and friend Poston.

"Once (Foy) saw how it operated and everything going on with it, he was on board," Villard said. "I didn't want to do this without having super quality food going up to Tempe."

Villard and his wife, Joselyn Gamez, launched Taco Stop on East Speedway and North Houghton Road in 2019, gaining a loyal following and social media buzz for its vegan and vegetarian fare alongside traditional meet-based Mexican food.

But the restaurant has been closed since early early October, when Gamez delivered the couple's son two months early. Villard said the baby was hospitalized until early December. They have been unable to reopen after their health permit lapsed; between the time they gook off to care for their son and the medical bills, the couple couldn't afford the renewal fees, Villard said. 

Villard and Foy said they hope to launch the Tempe venture in late April.