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Eateries gain claims to fame
Games golden for some, a bust for other restaurants
By Valerie Phillips
Deseret News food editor
Many local restaurants now have a claim to fame; they're able to boast that they fed celebrities and dignitaries during the Olympics. Some were just happy to feed the masses of general Gamesgoers, and some restaurateurs ended up disappointed that the customers they hoped for never showed up.
The Metropolitan became a Who's Who paradise: singer LeAnn Rimes, glass-sculptor Dale Chihuly, former NFL quarterback Steve Young, National Hockey League star Wayne Gretzsky (with eight other Canadian hockey players) and NBC's Bob Costas, Conan O'Brien, Hannah Storm and Len Berman.
Rimes also stopped by Market Street Grill, as did Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, ice-skating legend Peggy Fleming, country-western singers Brooks & Dunn, and Olympic decathlon gold medalist Dan O'Brien.
Although Market Street Grill is known for seafood, many of the celebrities ordered steak (all restaurants owned by Gastronomy, Inc., serve Certified Angus Beef, which is an Olympics sponsor). Gastronomy spokesman Mary Anne Farrier said the goalie of the Russian Olympic hockey team came in nearly every night for a steak.
"Just for the Olympics, we humorously put green Jell-O on the menu," Farrier said, "and some people asked for it.
"Steak was really popular, and so were oysters. We had a large group of Asians come in who all ordered crab legs, dill pickles and coleslaw, and washed it down with Budweiser."
The New Yorker served King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and bobsled gold medalist Jim Shea. Hockey legend Gretzsky also made an appearance here, too.
Log Haven was the setting for King Harald V of Norway's 65th birthday celebration dinner on Feb. 22, and former President Bill Clinton was at Sundance during the first week of the Games. American Indian musician Robbie Robertson and his entourage dined at Martine the night before performing at the opening ceremonies.
Mike Wallace of "60 Minutes" dined at Passages, the new restaurant at the Inn on Temple Square, and Attorney General John Ashcroft dined at The Roof, reported Neil Wilkinson, spokesman for the Hotel Temple Square Corp. He said all four of the corporation's restaurants had a huge increase in business — contradicting predictions that visitors would be turned off if they couldn't get a glass of wine or beer with their meal.
"Since we don't serve alcoholic beverages, we have to rely solely on our food," Wilkinson said. But location and historical interest probably helped. The Garden and the Roof restaurants, on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, provided a view of Olympic Square and the Medals Plaza, and Passages (at 71 N. Temple) provided a vantage point to watch the fireworks.
"The Lion House Pantry is down away from the crowd," Wilkinson said, "but people are thinking they want to eat in Brigham Young's home. The Pantry served over 1,000 people on Saturday (Feb. 16)."
The Skybox Sports Grille, which opened at The Gateway just a week before the Olympics began, had hourlong waiting lines every night, said marketing director Beau Carlson. Being located near the Medals Plaza was a plus. And with 80 giant television screens (six of them located in the bathrooms) diners could eat without missing a second of the various competitions. (Almost as convenient as being at home in your own living room except the food is probably a lot better with chef David Prows in the kitchen.)
"A lot of people from different countries came in to eat," said Carlson, "and they would jump up and wave their flags and start cheering. One night, we served the German hockey team. One of our waiters speaks German and has visited some of the places where they were from, so they were loving it."
The restaurant also has a room full of virtual-reality sports games, so customers could get out of the cold weather and shoot hoops or play virtual ice hockey while waiting for a table.
Rooster's, a restaurant/microbrewery on Ogden's 25th Street, doubled its business, said co-owner Kym Buttschardt. "Our street didn't look as crowded as Park City, but inside it's totally rockin' with tons of skiers, curlers, coaches and their families."
Although located a couple miles away from the Ogden Ice Sheet, Rooster's and Union Grill (also owned by Peter and Kym Buttschardt) got the word out about their restaurants by setting up a Curling Hospitality House in the Weber State University Alumni Building, just south of the Ice Sheet. The temporary restaurant/bar, with a big screen TV and cozy fireplace, proved so popular with athletes and locals alike that Peter Jennings did a news spot there, said Buttschardt.
Even some restaurants miles away from Olympics venues saw a rise in business, "because all the locals here weren't willing to go fight the crowds in Salt Lake City," said Judy Black of the Oquirrh Mill in Stansbury Park (near Tooele).
The Snake Creek Grill — a few miles from the biathlon and cross country events at Soldier Hollow — had some of its busiest nights ever, serving up lots of its popular red chili fettuccine in lime-cilantro broth.
"But they were mainly customers we know, people with second homes who were attending the Olympics," said chef Barbara Hill. "I know of several other places in Heber that were not doing so well. I hear that if you were near the Medals Plaza in Salt Lake, it's good. But if not, business was spotty."
Some restaurateurs were disappointed when the expected boom didn't happen. Things got so dismal dismal at Charley O's Grill, 343 E. 500 South, that manager Todd Dehlavi sent letters to regular customers offering a buy-one-entree-get-a-second-for-half-price deal.
"I'm only two blocks away from Washington Square, but the only traffic I'm getting from that are people coming in who are asking to use the restroom or the telephone," Dehlavi said. "I think the media has done such a good job in trying to control the crowds that they're scaring people off. I've had my customers call and ask if we have enough parking or if we've raised our prices, and I can feel the concern coming through in their voices."
Also, with increased security, people are spending more time at the venues, Dehlavi said, "The Olympic Committee did such a great job of setting up temporary food distribution centers and selling hot dogs and drinks, they didn't need to go elsewhere to eat. And if you have to be at the venues two or three hours in advance, that doesn't leave a lot of time to plan a dinner."
At Eats of Eden, a casual diner in the Ogden Valley down the road from Snowbasin (a venue of the downhill and super G events), the numbers were the same as usual but the customers were different. "Most of the people we're getting are from out of town — a lot of security people, the FBI and a few spectators," said owner Jayne Christiansen. "But our regular locals are staying away because they figured it would be crazy."
E-MAIL: vphillips@desnews.com
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February 26, 2002
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