With its East Valley location thriving, it was inevitable that Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen restaurant was going to expand to the west -- and Goodyear was the most logical destination.

"It’s a great community. It’s a growing community. We thought Goodyear would be a natural fit for what we do," said Cheddar's managing partner Dan Roth when his restaurant's second Valley location opened for business Monday.

Cheddar's was founded 40 years ago and has over 170 restaurants across the United States, including a venue in Chandler. Its Goodyear restaurant is located at 15030 W McDowell Rd., just south of Harkins Theaters.

"Our slogan is, ‘Get a lot for not a lot.’ That really means that we’re going to give a great experience with handmade, homemade scratch meals; a warm, inviting atmosphere; and bringing it all together with fabulous service," Roth said.

Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord, who was on hand for Monday morning's ribbon-cutting ceremony, said the location of the new Cheddar's restaurant is perfect. 

"It’s excellent. And it’s a beautiful restaurant inside," she said. "We're just excited."

Cheddar's is already active within the Goodyear community. It has already partnered with a local food bank as part of its Harvest Program, which donates leftover, salvageable food to help feed the hungry. Cheddar's just raised over $5,000 for that program as part of its friends and family event in Goodyear.

"Goodyear is a great community," Roth said. "We just feel like there was a great need for a restaurant like this here."