Some of Utah’s most beloved restaurants didn’t start with a storefront. Instead, they began in farmers market booths or food trucks, building loyal followings as they learned what customers loved.
For many owners, those early days served as a proving ground. As demand grew, so too did the desire for a permanent space. Below are six of these once-mobile operations that have become thriving brick-and-mortar restaurants. Learn what makes them stand out in Utah and the advice their owners have for entrepreneurs hoping to follow a similar path.
Cluck Truck
- Location: 285 W 800 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
- Food truck started: 2018
- Restaurant established: 2025
Phill and Gentry Davies have been serving gourmet fried chicken out of the Cluck Truck since 2018. They say acquiring the food truck is “one of the best decisions we ever could have made!” As their popularity grew, Gentry says their two trucks “were pretty much consistently booked five to six days a week.” With customers constantly asking when they’d be open outside of catering events, the Davies realized they needed a permanent space. In 2025, they moved into a storefront in Salt Lake City’s Granary District.
What sets them apart in Utah: “We try really hard to be different,” Gentry says. We use a cornflake dredge. We brine our chicken for 24 hours. We make all of our sauces in-house.”
Owner’s recommendation for first-time diners: The loaded chicken cheese fries.
Eats Bakery & Coffee
- Location: 248 E 100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
- Farmers market booth started: 2021
- Restaurant established: 2025
Army veterans Byron and Kandi Tesen started Eats Bakery in 2021, when Kandi was looking for purpose after leaving the Army. They applied for a stall at the Downtown Farmers Market in Salt Lake and quickly became known for their unique cinnamon rolls and donuts. In 2025, they moved into a brick-and-mortar space and added coffee to their menu. The cozy shop also offers a host of gluten- and dairy-free options.
What sets them apart in Utah: “We really have fun with our flavors,” Kandi says. “You wouldn’t think the flavors we use would mesh so well together.”
Recommendation for first-time diners: “One of my favorites … is our ube cinnamon roll,” Kandi says. “And our matcha is top tier.”
Advice for entrepreneurs: “Don’t be afraid to do it scared,” Kandi says. Going from market stall to brick-and-mortar wasn’t easy, but she says it’s been a gift. “You don’t ever want to be on your deathbed like, ‘man, I wish I would have followed this dream.’”
Huckleberry Grill
- Location: 335 W 1830 S Suite A-B, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
- Food truck started: 2018
- Restaurant established: 2024
Huckleberry Grill began as a catering company, then moved into the Huck Truck before opening their flagship restaurant in Salt Lake in 2024. Chef Eric Westover brings decades of fine dining experience to the business, personally curating every ingredient to ensure only the best goes into the food. For example, their huckleberries are wild-picked on the slopes of Mount St. Helens in Washington. “They’re the best huckleberries in the world,” Westover says. “And I know that because I bought $2,000 worth of huckleberries from everywhere I could find them and taste-tested them side by side to make sure I had the best.”
What sets them apart in Utah: “Huckleberry Grill stands out because it’s fast food pricing, but elevated food.”
Recommendation for first-time diners: “The huckleberry pork tenderloin. It is definitely hands-down my favorite.”
Advice for entrepreneurs: “The biggest problem most people face is discouragement,” Westover says. “You never know if success is right around the corner. … The only way you can find that out is to keep doing it.”
Sweet Lake Biscuits & Limeade
- Location: 54 W 1700 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
- Farmers market booth started: 2009
- Restaurant established: 2015
Hasen Cone (aka Hoss) has always liked being his own boss. After selling his shaved ice shacks and spending a few years working a 9-5, he returned to the food industry with an idea: fresh mint limeade. When he brought it to his first farmers market in 2009, it was an instant hit. As Sweet Lake became a regular at the Provo Farmers Market, Cone realized he needed a brick-and-mortar location to keep growing. Drawing on his Texan roots, he built out a full menu with the help of his wife Teri Rosquist. More than a decade later, the restaurant remains a community staple.
What sets them apart in Utah: “These are recipes from my life, from my experiences, from my heart, that you can’t get anywhere else.”
Recommendation for first-time diners: The Hoss, a biscuit sandwich featuring a buttermilk biscuit filled with fried chicken, bacon, local cheddar and eggs, swimming in a sausage gravy made from local sausage. “And you’ve got to try our limeade.”
Advice for entrepreneurs: Farmers markets are a good way to test-run ideas, Cone says. “See if there’s a market for it. See if people care about it,” before putting your life savings into a restaurant.
Vostok
- Location: 1391 S 300 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
- Food truck started: 2024
- Restaurant established: 2025
Andrés Páez started Vostok in 2024 with a goal: to serve gourmet smashburgers made fresh — no frozen patties. Originally from Colombia, Páez adds flavors not typically seen on smashburgers, like grilled pineapple. Their food truck was always busy as the concept quickly gained a following, and last year, Vostok moved into a permanent location in Salt Lake City.
What sets them apart in Utah: Vostok’s menu might seem simple, but they have unique flavor combinations, using ingredients like grilled pineapple, potato sticks, fried eggs and house-made sauce.
Recommendation for first-time diners: Páez recommends the Vostok Burger, which he loads with pastrami, bacon, provolone, grilled pineapple and garlic sauce. He also recommends trying it with a fried egg on top.
Waffle Love
- Location: Multiple locations in Utah, Arizona, Texas, Idaho and California
- Food truck started: 2012
- Restaurant established: 2014
In just a decade, Waffle Love has grown from a single food truck to brick-and-mortar locations in five states. Kelsey Shepherd has been with the company since the beginning. “We were doing any event that would come our way,” Shepherd says, “parking the truck at random corners, wherever anybody would let us park.” In 2015, the restaurant gained national attention after placing second on Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race.” Soon after, Waffle Love opened a restaurant in Provo, launching the restaurant’s expansion into multiple states.
What sets them apart in Utah: “Our waffles are like nothing else,” Shepherd says. “And we make people feel good and have a fun experience.”
Recommendation for first-time diners: “Chicken and waffles, for sure. Or the Red Wonder,” topped with biscoff, raspberries, strawberries, and whipped cream.
Advice for entrepreneurs: “Food trucks are hard. You have to be a mechanic. You have to be a chef. You have to be a driver. You have to be a businessman. When you open a restaurant, you can at least whack a few of those off the hats you have to wear. So do it as soon as possible, and focus on picking a good location.”
