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Owning a restaurant is hard work. Running a successful restaurant is harder. Expanding to several locations over several years is a feat that most can only dream about. According to an Ohio State University study, 60% of restaurants don't make it past the first year and 80% close within five years of opening.
But against all odds, some restaurants not only make it past those tough first years — they thrive. Several successful restaurant chains got their start in Utah, including the seven listed here. Did your favorite chain make the list?
Arctic Circle
Aside from their signature fry sauce, Arctic Circle has been serving up delicious favorites such as the Brown Topper, Blank Angus burgers and Alaskan halibut since the original location opened in Salt Lake City in 1950. Today, the restaurant has over 70 locations in seven states.
Almost everyone knows that Utahns are famous for their fry sauce affinity. The funny thing is that there's a bit of controversy over who the original fry sauce inventor was. But if you ask Arctic Circle's president Kasey Christensen, there's no question about who first came up with the idea.
"Some other chains and restaurateurs also claim as well that they created fry sauce, but we're confident in our history and knowledge here that Arctic Circle was the birthplace of fry sauce before it ever became popular anywhere else," Christensen told the food website Eater in 2016.
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Don't be fooled by the name. The "finger-lickin' good" chicken at Kentucky Fried Chicken actually has Utah roots. According to OnlyInYourState.com, it all started when Col. Harland Sanders (yes, he was a real person) cooked a special "secret recipe" for restaurant owner Pete Harman in 1952. Harman had a feeling this chicken would be a hit with Utahns, so he made a deal with Sanders to start a restaurant franchise.
It was a sign painter named Don Anderson who came up with the "Kentucky Fried Chicken" name and Harman later trademarked the phrase and slogan, "finger lickin' good." The original KFC building in Salt Lake was demolished in 2004, but a new one took its place.
Cupbop
Cupbop owner Jung Song started out with a food truck at the Gallivan Center in 2013. Fast forward to 2023 and he now has close to 50 locations throughout Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Oklahoma. And that's not counting the food trucks and concessions locations.
The massive growth came after Cupbop fan Dok Kwon left an investment banking career in New York to help Song scale the business on a national level. Song and Kwon, who now serves as the chief operating officer, had an appearance on Shark Tank in 2022 and landed a deal with investor Mark Cuban.
Cupbop may be growing fast, but the owners will never forget where it all started.
"We're so fortunate that we started here, and we're so thankful to all of our customers everywhere, but especially in Utah, where we started, and is absolutely our home ground," Kwon told KSL.com in 2022.
Cafe Rio Mexican Grill
Cafe Rio Mexican Grill was the brainchild of Steve and Patricia Stanley, who opened their St. George restaurant in 1997. Built on the concept that "every ingredient must be fresh and made fresh to order," Cafe Rio shot off in popularity, so the Stanleys built five more restaurants.
Bob Nilsen bought Cafe Rio in 2004 and started expanding the chain even further, keeping the "fresh food, made fresh" mantra. The restaurant has new owners today, but you can still enjoy a good Sweet Pork Barbacoa burrito at any of their locations in Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada and Arizona.
These are some of Utah's strangest laws
Some of these are so unusual, you might think they're made up. Rest assured, each of these is officially in Utah law books. They may seem random and unnecessary at first glance, but keep in mind — they're laws because people have, at some point, tried to do these things.Chuck-A-Rama
Sometimes you want to go to a restaurant where "the choice is yours." Enter the Utah-based family buffet restaurant Chuck-A-Rama. If you hop on the Chuck-A-Rama website, you'll learn that this buffet-style restaurant hasn't just been feeding families since 1966. They're also "proud to offer healthy options that fuel world-famous athletes, sponsor local schools and universities, and feed worthy causes across Utah and Idaho."
Nielsen's Frozen Custard
Instead of having a "family farm," Steve and Debbie Nielsen founded Nielsen's Frozen Custard and Diner in Bountiful in 1981 so their young kids could "learn to work." Nielsen's patented custard freezing machine has been the key to churning out countless gallons of their signature frozen custard through the years, which gained a reputation for being "one of the best things to eat in America."
But whether you eat on the custard side, the diner side or both, you won't be disappointed. And here's some great news: their custard has fewer calories and fat than ice cream, according to OnlyInYourState.com.
Today, the Nielsens have expanded their franchise throughout Utah and recently in Las Vegas.
Swig Drinks
Yet another franchise that got its start in St. George, Swig first opened its doors in 2010 after founder Nicole Tanner and her husband thought a drive-by drink shop could be a successful business venture. To make a long story short: They were right. Not only did Utahns crave easy access to a quick drink and a treat, but the dirty soda obsession has spread to Arizona, Idaho, Oklahoma and Texas.
Are you hungry yet?
If you managed to make it all the way through this list without a single craving for something sweet or savory, congratulations. But if reading about these successful Utah restaurant chains has perked up your appetite, find a location near you and satisfy those hunger pangs. Don't forget to leave a glowing review online to help these establishments keep growing!
Siegfried & Jensen
Since 1990, Siegfried & Jensen have been helping the people of Utah and surrounding states who have suffered needless injuries and death caused by car accidents, truck accidents, medical malpractice, defective drugs, dog bites, wrongful death, and other types of personal injury.
The firm is committed to keeping Utah families and communities safe by ensuring wrongdoers are held accountable. While a lawsuit isn't always the answer when it is needed having someone on your side can mean the difference between declaring bankruptcy and rebuilding your life and moving forward, especially when you're up against an insurance company or a hospital.
Siegfried & Jensen has a 97% success rate with more than 35,000 cases and $1.2 billion recovered for their clients.
