Since the new, bigger Dos Gringos Trailer Park opened in mid-April, it's been standing room only at the cantina-themed Tempe nightclub.
And neighboring bar owners and managers say Dos Gringos’ success is rubbing off.

Acme Roadhouse general manager Jeff Jennings says his bar has been busier on weekends since Dos moved nearby.

“It's kind of creating a pyramid structure,’’ he says of four bars — Dos, Acme, the Devil House and Maloney's — located off Rural Road, south of University Drive. “It's helping us compete with the bigger clubs in Scottsdale and giving people a reason to go to Tempe.’’

That reason? Bar-hopping, says Lisa Radford, who is hanging out at Maloney's on a Monday night.

“It's all about options,’’ says Radford, 27, of Tempe. “Why do you think Scottsdale bars do so well? It's because there are so many to choose from. Now that there's a Dos Gringos down here, there's another cool bar to go to. Between the four bars here, I don't see as much of a reason to make the drive to Scottsdale.’’

Devil House owner and bartender Justin Andreen says his bar's numbers also have increased.

“We're more of a late-night-crowd bar and we're getting a bit of Dos’ overflow late at night,’’ says Andreen, 22. “We're a ‘Cheers’ type of bar where we get a regular kind of crowd. I've seen a lot more unfamiliar faces lately.’’

Maloney's manager Gabe Demetriou says he's noticed anywhere from 40 to 80 new faces on weekends.

“It's definitely helping our Friday and Saturday nights,’’ he says. “It's shifting business back here from Mill Avenue... It definitely brings more people to the area. It's nice to have more options over here that are walking distance.’’

Stephen Jalaski, who is sipping a Bud Light at a packed Acme Roadhouse, agrees.

“Mill Avenue isn't what it once was,’’ the 30-year-old Tempe resident says. “When you think about it, there aren't really that many cool places to bar-hop anymore. Back in the day, you had your Long Wong's, Gibson's and Club 411. The options are still there but they're not that exciting.

‘‘The Library is the coolest place on Mill, but even the hype on that is dying down. I think people are starting to take notice of what a rad little area of bars we have going on here. I love it. They're all laid back and have cheap drinks.’’

Dos Gringos owner Brian Roehrich says he's not surprised that the bars are getting a lot more foot traffic.

“We're getting people coming in and out of here a couple times a night and they're bar-hopping,’’ he says.

Acme's Jennings says he's grateful for the presence of Dos.

“Build another Dos please and put it on the other side,’’ he says.