Eight restaurants in eight years – the secret recipe to success

While I can happily guide you in crafting a fabulous tinga de pollo, perfect roast spuds, or lip-numbing mapo tofu – I’d be hard-pressed to share a definitive recipe for restaurant success. The industry is an incredibly difficult one, notable by the fact we toast names that have advanced past the first year. Eight years, though? It’s a milestone that precious few make – and one that Utah-based Vessel Kitchen is now enjoying.

Since their Park City debut in 2016, the locally owned restaurant has expanded across the valley, this Fall sees the company open a brand new location in American Fork (97 NW State St) – their first foray into Utah County. The numbers behind those years of growth are as you would expect, eye-opening. A million staff hours have so far plated more than four million meals. This year alone, the restaurant has processed more than 200,000 pounds of sweet potatoes; the tuber serving as the nutritious base of the restaurant’s number one seller – the Hash Hash – a tumble of harissa braised beef, lemon ricotta crema, pickled onion, and smoked feta.

For my money, the key to Vessel Kitchen’s undeniable success is a nimble attitude, adapting and adjusting to changing customer demands. That begins with a flexible menu where no kitchen rigidity demands this must be served with that. “We just try to meet people where they are”, says co-founder Brian Reeder. That might translate to a dine-in lunch with friends, just as much as it might mean grabbing a handful of side dishes on your way home from work – you know, to pep up last night’s leftovers lurking in the fridge. Heck, for some, the restaurant serves as a one-stop shop for taking the angst out of preparing a complete Thanksgiving meal.

It’d be for naught if the food weren’t reliably rewarding though. On that point, Reeder explains, “Proteins and sides all must stand by themselves”. That means should you love the restaurant’s signature Uncle Rico dish – a bed of Yukon gold mash piled with chili verde – you’ll be equally as happy to enjoy a to-go order of the tomatillo, poblano, and serrano braised pork by itself. Every single menu component works independently of any composed plate. That’s made possible by tapping a vibrant lineup of international flavors. Steelhead trout with miso and Dijon, yellowfin tuna with shoyu and Korean chili, oyster mushrooms with capers, lemon, and garlic. The list goes on.

The menu offers balance too. Feeling healthy? Head directly to a collection of composed salads. Need to recover from a demanding day? Just go ahead and lean into your own hearty masterpiece – braised beef, mac & cheese, and mash? No one will tell you you’re doing it wrong at Vessel.

An equally balanced mindset has been core to the journey for Vessel, fluidly adapting along the way. The restaurant became a de facto option for many during the pandemic years. Take-out remains as popular to this day as does delivery. Vessel simply wants to be where you are – when you are. Speaking of the where, community is an important part of the mix too; Vessel has supported dozens of local names, everyone from the Utah Food Bank through the National Ability Center, and more. A first responder discount has been offered at all locations since 2016 too.

According to Reeder, “We didn’t have a master plan when we started, just a belief that real, nourishing meals served quickly and affordably should be an easy, everyday thing. Not exactly a radical idea, but less common than you’d think.” 

With American Fork now joining the Vessel family, Reeder is humbled, “It’s wild to think that we have been living our dream with Vessel for eight years now. The icing on the cake of this anniversary celebration is seeing our American Fork location come to fruition after years of dreaming, scouting, and planning. This neighborhood has always been on our radar, and finally having all our cards fall into place to see this project come to life is immensely rewarding. We wouldn’t be here without the passion of our guests and brilliant team who always push us to bring something new to the table.”

Locations of Vessel Kitchen across the valley include the OG Summit County location as well as 9th and 9th, Midvale, two options in Sandy, Farmington, the SLC airport – and now the new American Fork spot (197 NW State St).

Stuart Melling

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”.

Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.