A frenzied brisket fueled week in Austin (more on that soon) prevented me recapping May’s DABS meeting sadly (actually I’m not that sad). So here’s a double bumper crop, all the major winners of liquor licenses from the May and June DABS meetings:
Bar licenses
We’ve been relatively awash with bar licenses of late. Population increases, forfeitures and of course, the boost delivered in this year’s legislative session. DABS commissioners remain cautious in handing out bar licenses, but still, if you’re ready to open, step on up – Utah has licenses – for now. Over the past two meetings the following new bars have all been minted:
Kennedy’s Cabaret, Salt Lake City
La Caille, Sandy
Level Crossing Brewing, Salt Lake City
Offset Bier, Park City
Pete’s Place Bar & Gill, Ogden
Second Summit Hard Cider, Salt Lake City
The Gem Nightclub, Salt Lake City
Sayanora (formerly Yuki), Salt Lake City
A little more about that last one, with co-owner Ashton Aragon speaking to intent of the new bar which was new to me. According to Aragon, Sayanora is a project 4-5 yeas in the making, with the business hoping to replicate the feel of a back alley Tokyo bar. The downtown SLC bar (3rd and State) features imported Japanese decor with Aragon stating it’s going to be completely unique and different for the city. Also notable, Aragon is co-owner of the Liberty Park facing Tradition restaurant.
By my reckoning that leaves the state with 12 bar licenses exiting the June meeting. For reference the following eleven businesses remain waiting in the wings, with their predicted opening dates:
Number 36 LLC, Springville
Finca Pintxos Bar, SLC
El Moab Hotel, Moab
Citizens, SLC, July
Last Call Sports Bar & Grill, Springville, July
O’Shucks The White House, Park City, August
Bout Time Pub & Grub, Tooele, August
Aker Restaurant and Lounge, Salt Lake City, September
Neptune’s Palace, Salt Lake City, October
Marquis, Park City, November
Bout Time Pub & Grub, Saratoga Springs, February 2024
License change of ownership: Bout Time Pub and Grub (Vineyard) and Hopkins Brewing Company (SLC). Repeal (Salt Lake City) was not as lucky, with owner Kelly Howard talking about his plans following the purchase of the now defunct Bourbon House. Howard purchased the Walker Centre bar to the tune of 20K with exhaustive plans in mind for the space; those include tearing everything down to the bare concrete and rebuilding a whole new bar from scratch. The kitchen size will effectively double with the planned remodel expected to complete around January 2024.
Commissioners demurred on the motion to allow the transfer of the former Bourbon House license; raising concerns about the license effectively sitting unused for six months or more. The general feeling was that Howard should come back before the commission when closer to opening, to apply for the bar license through the regular licensing process. The move seemingly sets an interesting precedent for would be bar business purchasers moving forward.
Full service restaurant licenses (beer, wine, liquor)
In restaurant land, the following restaurants now have their full service licenses in hand:
Fancy Burger, Orem
Pier 8, Orem
AutoCamp, Virgin
Park City Desserts, Park City
Puerto Vallarta Jalisco, Cedar City
Via 313 Pizzeria, Murray
Betty’s Cafe of Utah, Heber City
Matchstick Bar & Grill, West Valley City
Sugar Space, Salt Lake City
Cody’s Gastro Garage, Garden City
Bloomington Country Club, St. George
The Crack Shack, Murray
Buffalo Wild Wings, Orem
Silver Reef Brewery Craft & Kitchen, St George
Pinewoods Grille, Duck Creek Village
Los Tapatios, St. George
No word on how many full service licenses remain leaving June’s meeting. Meanwhile, the following hopefuls should be up before the DABS in the months ahead:
La Costa Mexican Restaurant, American Fork
Lulu’s Hot Oven, South Jordan, July
Hyatt House – H Bar, Salt Lake City, July
Vintage Restaurant Bar & Grill, Heber City, July
Root’d Cafe, Riverton, August
Cafe Sabor, Cedar City, August
Piko Mexican Grill, Salt Lake City, September
STK Steakhouse, Salt Lake City, September
License change of ownership: Prime Steakhouse (Park City), Painted Pony (St George), Mi Buena Vida (Salt Lake City), Kaneo (Park City).
Limited service restaurant licenses (beer and wine)
Shake Shack, Riverton
Vuture Foods, Salt Lake City
Bangkok Wasabi, Orem
Mariscos Los Cunados, Heber City
Ross’s Pizza & Pasta Buffet, Richfield
Sabore’s, Logan
Curry Connect, Sandy
Itto Sushi & Myung Ga, Salt Lake City
Big Rock Candy Mountain, Sevier
Black Sage Zion, Virgin
Pizza Nono, Millcreek
The Crack Shack, St George
License change of ownership: Asado Argentina Grill & Cafe (Orem), BGR Burgers Grilled Right (Salt Lake City), Ichiban Sushi & Asian Grill (Salt Lake City), Brody’s Mexican Restaurant (Cedar City).
Beer only restaurant licenses
Burgers & Barley, Riverton
Pico De Gallo, St George
Quesabirrias, Heber City
Hidden Peak Provisions, Midway
Los Tapatios, Salt Lake City
Red Rock Taco, Huntsville
The Chicken Shack, Salt Lake City
License change of ownership: Taco Taco (Ogden).
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Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC. I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.
I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV. Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.
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