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Local Utah restaurant quits amid continuing staffing issues

Sad news just in hot off the press, Fenice Mediterranean Bistro in downtown SLC is no more. Local food blogger SLC Eats spied the following information recently posted to the doors of the Mediterranean styled restaurant. The notice reads:

“8/21/2022 Dear Fenice Patrons and Supporters. Due to the many challenges facing small businesses in the current economy, we have made the difficult decision to cease operations.

There are many factors involved in our decision, and while our business levels were not consistent, we didn’t adequately anticipate is how difficult it is to staff the restaurant in the
current economy. We simply don’t have enough help to operate successfully.

We will take some time to re-assess the business to determine if it is feasible to continue operations at a later date. We thank you for the support you have given us and wish you
all the best. Please come visit us at our Park City restaurant, the Silver Star Café. Thank you, The owners and staff”

The restaurant first opened their doors in late 2021, our own Christy Gilbert previewed the opening and their initial menu in this story. Other local publications and writers were equally effusive in their praise for business; the second from owner operators Jeff and Lisa Ward who also run the very popular Silver Star Cafe in Summit County.

Fenice is the second business to falter at the location in recent years. The Regent Street location, just a few steps down from Viet Pham’s Pretty Bird, was formerly home to Fireside On Regent which closed in 2019.

Staffing and inflationary pressures are of course nothing new for Utah. I wrote about the constellation of factors causing entreprenuraila distress last year, check out this award winning, piece, why your favorite restaurant might be closing, for a deeper dive into the world of staffing, wages, inflationary pressure and more.

The full posted notice is as follows, which does allow for the possibility of a future return at an unspecified date:

Fenice notice (SLC Eats)
Fenice notice (SLC Eats)

Further recent reading

Here are a few more stories from a mix of local and national press about the current business landscape right now and how some companies are adapting.

Other useful links



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1 thought on “Local Utah restaurant quits amid continuing staffing issues”

  1. So sad to hear. I’m wondering if the location is challenging for fine dining? If I were a restaurateur at this point in time, I would just try to hold onto my existing business, rather than try to open anything new. Staffing, good prices etc makes nearly impossible right now.

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