Redesigning Ruth's Diner

If you've ever scarfed down pancakes and eggs at Ruth's Diner after a long bike ride, you can do it now in a sweeter atmosphere.

The Emigration Canyon landmark has reopened after months of renovation. The owners have invested about $1 million in remodeling virtually every inch of the place, from the floors to the new lighting in the ceiling.

"We basically built a new restaurant," co-owner Erik Nelson told the Deseret News. "(We) just wanted to make a better working environment for our employees and a better dining experience for our customers."

As for the motive for the major overhaul to one of the Wasatch Front's best-known restaurants, Nelson said it was mostly for practical reasons.

"It was really just the inefficiency of the place due to the smallness of the kitchen. …The restrooms were one toilet each as opposed to the four now," he said.

Nelson, who had been an employee at Ruth's for 12 years before buying the restaurant with his wife two years ago, said that when planning the renovations, they were careful not to remove the charm that had made the establishment so endearing to patrons since it opened in 1949.

"We put a lot of effort into the design … not to take that old character away," he said. "We think we've succeeded and 95 percent of our customers feel that way also."

Some of the changes to the place include booths replacing familiar tables and a bar added in the dining room, he said.

Nelson said he and Tracy, his wife of 27 years, knew that the investment would be necessary for the long-term viability of the diner — not to mention the impact it has had on the current staff of about 20 employees and their view of their new workplace makeover.

"Their attitude has changed dramatically because it is such an easier working environment," he said.

Previously, workers prepared meals in a kitchen that measured approximately 350 square feet, not an easy feat when you're cooking about 6,000 meals per week, on average, according to Nelson.

Ruth's Diner isn't the only building in the area getting a makeover. Next door, completion of the $1.2 million renovation of the Canyon House commercial property is still a few months away, according to project spokesman Brent Mahaffey, who also helped oversee the Ruth's Diner remodel.

When completed in the fall, the building will house an architectural design firm, a restaurant purchasing company, a catering company and a culinary school that will teach cooking classes taught by local and national chefs, he said.

When completed, the project will provide an attractive, distinctive environment that is unlike any other in the area, Mahaffey said.

"Essentially, it's seven minutes from downtown Salt Lake," he said. "It is (an) architecturally unique, incredibly desirable place not only from a client point of view, but also from an employee point of view."

E-mail: jlee@desnews.com