We’ve all seen the sad news, peppered throughout our social media feeds. A rumor about a favorite Utah restaurant suddenly closing its doors or an official announcement from a local eatery shutting down after years in business. Restaurants are hard. And if you think it’s hard to watch your favorite spot close its doors, it’s that much harder for the owners, managers and staff. 

To combat the bad news, we wanted to take a moment and share the stories of several Utah restaurants that have adapted, moved, transformed or doubled down on staying the same to stay in business. 

Tea Rose Diner—A New Move and a New Flavor of History

When Anny Sooksri quit her job with the post office in 2007, she decided to take over a little burger bar tucked in Murray. Anny did what she has always done.“I jumped right in,” she says. “I didn’t know what I was doing.” Tea Rose Diner was named because when she opened, she carried 82 varieties of tea and had a rose house next door. “It’s hilarious that I never had a sign,” she says. “Not until I had been open for 10 years.” Anny built her customer base the old-fashioned way, over 18 years—by serving delicious Thai food with her unique, spicy twist. 

Anny could never find food that was spicy enough for her taste buds in the U.S. “I eat super spicy, but I couldn’t make food as spicy as I want because of the risk factor. So we started giving customers a choice of zero to 10 for spice,” she says. To be clear, going from a “one” to a “two” is doubling the spice. “We add a spoon of chili on each level,” she says. Tea Rose Diner guests were also shocked at the quality (and quantity) of food coming out of the tiny kitchen. Anny even managed to impress her future husband when he came in for lunch with friends.

I think every success comes with hard work. And we are a ‘hard-work’ people, you know? For us to fail, it’s not an option. I was the first generation and I’m here by myself and I came here with nothing. I wish I could be an example to a lot of people. If I can do it,
why can’t you?”

Tea Rose Diner has lived and thrived for nearly two decades. Anny went on to open four other restaurants: Chabaar Beyond Thai, Fav Bistro, Tea Rose Thai Express and Uncle Jeffi’s Place. Tea Rose will always be her figurative firstborn, but it’s starting to show its age. The kitchen is so small that you can’t have two people in there without feeling cramped. The building is grandfathered in for code, so, “I could never sell it,” Anny says. “The permit would not transfer.” 

“We were keeping an eye out for a new location,” she says, but they didn’t want to go far. When the option to bid on the city-owned, historic Murray Chapel (kitty corner from the original) came up, Anny jumped. She won the bid in late fall 2024 and has big plans to renovate the space. The new Tea Rose Diner will be a full-service restaurant with a tea/coffee shop and a small event space on the lower level.

Anny won the bid because of her dedication to keeping history alive in the building. “I come from a country that has a lot of history,” she says. “And to keep something historical is something to feel honored about. We lose our history and then we don’t have anything to look forward to as a new generation.”

The Murray Chapel will take at least a year and $900,000 to bring it up to code and build it out. She can’t alter the historical facade but wants to extend the back of the building with an all-glass structure and upper deck. “It’s going to be a lot of work, but it is going to be so cool,” she says, getting animated. 

Tea Rose Diner (The Original) 
65 E. 5th Ave., Murray 
bestthaifoodinutah.com

Kimi’s Chop & Oyster House—A New Location for a Local Institution

After 10 years, Kimi Eklund decamped her namesake restaurant, Kimi’s Chop & Oyster House, from the historic Sugar House post office to the former site of Primo’s Restaurant in Holladay. The new location is a good fit for Kimi’s brand of service, but before the move, her Chop & Oyster House came within inches of closing forever. Constant construction in Sugar House had severely impacted the business. “When Jan. 2 came and they closed the road [1100 East], our sales dropped 85% overnight,” she says. “Sugar House was a ghost town.” But Kimi hoped that when construction ended, things would improve. So, she prepared to renew her lease for another 10 years.

Then, the universe intervened one evening in July. “I seem to always have these fateful things happen,” Kimi laughs. “That night, one of my guests told me ‘It’s such a pity that we can’t sit out on your patio [due to construction]. It’s too bad you don’t have Primo’s patio. It’s one of the best patios in town, and they’re closed.’” 

That same night, she learned about a new Sugar House development that would bring even more long-term construction to her block. One of the servers had waited on a developer. “The server told me that he [the developer] was talking about plans to put a 26-story building in the area behind us.” Oh and, to top it off, “there will be a high-end restaurant at the top overlooking the whole valley.”
The development might be a few years out, but it would definitely mean more chaos, more construction. Kimi knew she either had to close or move. She drove over to Primo’s location and peeked in the windows. Then she started dreaming. 

Kimi and the owners of the Primo building came to an agreement. They wanted Kimi’s in the space and were willing to hold out for almost a year until Kimi was ready to move. “I got cold feet,” Kimi admits. “I didn’t want to start over again.” But the fact that her potential landlords were willing to work with her was heartening. She says, “It was telling me that I should trust my instincts.” 

To make the old Primo building move-in ready, Kimi brought in some trusted advisors and fellow restaurant owners. The pad was segmented, with some walls blocking the energy and flow in the center of the restaurant. “We Tauruses are sensitive people,” Kimi says. “We are in tune and very sensory. Once I got those walls down, I knew it was going to be a success.” 

The new decor is just so “Kimi.” Lush, vibrant, Scandinavian-cozy, with bright art and dramatic lighting, “a combination of white sherpa and velvet, illuminated with tear-drop chandeliers.” Each room and each nook is different, with private dining options and a beautiful lounge area, stone fireplaces and views of Mt. Olympus. 

The kitchen is more spacious and modern, which means there are more options for the classic menu, more specials and more small-plate dishes, as per Kimi’s customer requests. “We’re turning into a neighborhood restaurant. People are sharing plates, doing a lot of tapas and trying everything on the menu.”  

Kimi’s Chop & Oyster House 
4699 S. Highland Dr., Holladay 
kimishouse.com 
Open seven days a week, with private dining for groups of 10–58 guests, live music and seasonal cocktails.

Log Haven’s Lasting Legacy—Declious value and a great team behind every meal

Log Haven is a Utah institution. For nearly 30 years, it is the quintessential place for proposals, weddings and family gatherings. Couples who got married there have watched their kids get married there.

As the name suggests, it is both rustic and a retreat, romantic and renowned. But at one point, it was more ramshackle than anything. That is when Margo Provost came to own the property in Millcreek Canyon. At first, she planned to remodel it as a private residence, but soon it became clear it needed to be more. “I was attempting to sort through the detritus. It was really in terrible shape.” As Margo recalls,  she struck up a friendship with Jean Rains, whose father had built it as an anniversary present for her mother. Jean had photos from when she was a child, and her family would come out from Philadelphia every summer. “As we talked and I learned more about its history, I decided to restore it, add on to it and make it into a restaurant,” says Margo.

The idea of Log Haven was born. But, “It was a much bigger project than I expected,” says Margo. “We encountered problems. We had to jack the building up to meet earthquake code, remove asbestos and remove an underground heating oil tank. But eventually, we got up and running.” 

On top of all the challenges, Margo was not native to the restaurant business. “I was a Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Operations for a multi-billion dollar healthcare company,” she says. “I found that things weren’t really right in line with my passions. So I took a leap to retire and was looking for a project that would fulfill what I wanted to offer to the universe.” Log Haven fit the bill. “And so when we opened, my intention was nature, nurture and nourish.” 

That is one of the reasons Log Haven has stayed close to their mountain sanctuary. “You can’t be ‘nature, nurture, nourish’ if all you’re trying to do is build a brand and spread it out everywhere,” Margo says. “You put your stamp on something special, show where your values are and hope that others respond to it. We’ve been fortunate to pull that off at Log Haven.”

“Nature, nurture and nourish” have been the guiding values for Log Haven’s team, which has been there almost since the beginning. All are co-owners: Ian Campbell, the General Manager; Faith Scheffler, the Sales and Event Manager, and David Jones, the Executive Chef.  “When big things occur, like recessions, significant legislative changes, or, heaven forbid, COVID, we tend to take a longer view,” she says. “We’ve been through these things.” And so, Log Haven, like with any true haven, stays the course and is known for its team, values and amazing food. Chef Jones was a James Beard semi-finalist for the best chef in the mountain region this past year and Log Haven has consistently been lauded by this very magazine’s Dining Awards. But Margo sees a bigger mission. “We’re so darnn lucky,” she says. “We have so many people who’ve gotten engaged, celebrated promotions, recruited people to move to Salt Lake. We give them a place, a beautiful, almost sacred space to celebrate the desire for connection.”

The general manager, Ian, always says, “We have a soul.” And Margo sees that as what really sets Log Haven up as the special place it is. “We see it as more than just a business. I believe we do have soul, and I think that’s a beautiful thing.”    

Log Haven
6451 Mill Creek Canyon Rd., SLC
log-haven.com

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The 265th edition of the BYU-Utah basketball rivalry had its share of heroes from the team wearing red.

Thanks to the efforts of Ezra Ausar, Lawson Lovering and Hunter Erickson — and key contributions from other Runnin’ Utes — Utah was able to win a 73-72 thriller in overtime on Saturday night at the Huntsman Center.

It was a game where free-throw shooting ended up being a primary factor, and one where Utah’s identity it has forged during a three-game winning streak — attacking the paint — played out in its favor.

While the Utes went 17 of 32 from the free-throw line, far from the type of efficiency Utah would like to see from the line, that was much better than BYU’s 4 of 10 shooting from the charity stripe.

In a way, Ausar, Lovering and Erickson all had their own free-throw stories to tell from the Utah victory, and it was spurred by their ability to help the Utes win the battle in the paint against the Cougars.

“That’s the glass half empty,” Utah coach Craig Smith said, of the high number of free throws the team missed. “The glass half full is at least we got to the free throw line 32 times, and we made 17.

“Two weeks ago, there was no chance we’re going to make 17 free throws in a game because we wouldn’t get fouled. But we’re playing a different brand now. We’re getting to the line more, we’re attacking more. We’re just playing with way more force, and it’s big boy basketball. And that was a big boy basketball win.”

Ausar, Lovering and Erickson led that “big boy basketball” mentality against BYU.

Ezra Ausar

Ausar had easily his most impactful game as a Ute, scoring a season-high 26 points, just two of his career-high of 28 last season when he was at East Carolina.

The 6-foot-8 junior forward shot 11 of 15 from the floor, as well as 4 of 8 from the free-throw line.

He also had six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

“I love that man,” an emotional Smith said about Ausar, when asked about their postgame hug. “I don’t know what got into him, but it needs to happen all the time. He’s just a really amazing person. I’ve met a lot of people in my life. I’m not sure I met anybody exactly like Ezra, and that’s a real compliment.”

Smith relayed that Ausar has been dealing with some personal things, which includes the death of a family member, but the way he’s handled himself through it has struck a chord with the coach.

“He had a great look, and I think he’s learning how to really compete. He’s really learning how to play with force. He’s got to keep doing this,” Smith said.

After scoring two points in the first half, Ausar had 21 in the second half and three more in overtime.

He scored 12 of those points alone during a 16-4 run where Utah turned a 35-27 deficit into a 43-39 lead.

Ausar scored on a wide-open dunk in the final minute of regulation when Gabe Madsen drove then kicked to Ausar for the slam. That play gave Utah a 63-62 lead.

He rebounded a BYU miss on the next possession and was fouled, then hit 1 of 2 free throws to make it a two-point game.

The Cougars responded with a short jumper from Fousseyni Traore, forcing overtime.

Ausar then scored Utah’s first three points of the extra session.

In the final minute of overtime, with Utah trailing by one, he poked the ball away from Richie Saunders, and that led to a possession where Hunter Erickson was fouled, then hit two free throws to give the Utes the lead back.

“I’m just proud of the performance,” Ausar said. “I’m going to take it in and let it marinate, but you know (then it’s) definitely on to the next.”

It’s also an encouraging sign given the context of Utah’s two wins last week. In the Utes’ 73-65 victory over TCU on Wednesday, fellow forward Keanu Dawes scored 16 points and had two critical defensive plays in the final minute — one a block, and another a steal — as Utah held off a TCU comeback.

Lawson Lovering

The 7-foot Lovering was a physical force for Utah in the paint, setting the tone inside from the get-go.

When Utah went on a 16-4 run early in the second half, he had four points in that stretch and also proved to be a menace on the defensive end.

Lovering ended the night with 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

“I just tried to focus on being me,” said Lovering, who added the team focus was “not let the moment get too big for us — be us and play rugged, physical basketball.”

It’s the latest in an impressive run of games for the senior big man, who’s been integral in each of Utah’s games during its three-game win streak.

The only negative in his game Saturday night was his free-throw shooting — Lovering was 5 of 11 as BYU employed a Hack-a-Shaq philosophy, daring him to make the Cougars pay from the free-throw line.

The idea worked more than it didn’t — that included Lovering missing two free throws in overtime, and on the year, he’s shooting 42.6% from the line.

Lovering, though, was still a handful for BYU to deal with, and he played much of the second half and overtime with four fouls without fouling out — a sign of growth from the center.

“Lawson, I thought was amazing tonight, and especially to start that second half,” Smith said. “You know, he got a quick third foul. Josh Eilert, who’s our big man coach, he’s like, ‘Coach, we gotta get Lawson out.’ And I’m like, ‘No, what? I’m not taking him out. He’s the one who’s really hooping right now.’ And then he came back in with six, seven minutes left with four fouls, and played the rest of the game and overtime.”

Hunter Erickson

Erickson, the former BYU guard whose college career has taken him from Provo to a year at Salt Lake Community College to now two seasons at Utah, came up in several clutch moments for the Utes against his former team.

“Hunter, he just has this … everybody believes in him, just the ultimate respect (from) everybody because of how hard he competes. They trust him. He always makes the right play,” Smith said.

His first points of the game came on a 3-pointer with 9:39 left in regulation, and was a direct response to a BYU 3-pointer moments earlier. That play gave Utah a 53-48 lead.

Then in overtime, Erickson was as assertive as he’s been all year.

When Utah was struggling to score in overtime as it clanked several free throws, Erickson drilled a 3-pointer with 2:08 on the clock that made it a 70-70 game. He confidently stepped back and made the shot with BYU’s Dallin Hall on defense.

On that play, Smith said the Utes were trying to run the same play they had successfully converted for the go-ahead Ausar dunk in the final minute of regulation. Things got discombobulated on offense, though, and Erickson rolled off a screen from Lovering and confidently made the 3.

That came after, according to Smith, assistant coach Lo Leath had told Erickson earlier in the game, “Hunter, you always make the right play. … You know what, tonight, the right play might be shooting it a little bit more.”

“Lawson just goes, sets the ball screen, then Hunter sticks it,” Smith said, of that critical 3-pointer. “You know, players make plays bottom line. And so he stuck with it. He’s just such a connector and he’s a real competitor, and he plays both ends of the floor. “

Then in the final minute, Erickson again was assertive, scoring the Utes’ final three points, all from the free-throw line.

First, he was fouled with 47 seconds left and Utah trailing by two.

Erickson made the first shot from the charity stripe, but with the chance to tie the game, he airballed the second attempt.

That was his first free-throw miss since mid-November — Erickson is an 87.5% free throw shooter this year, on 16 attempts.

Erickson, though, got the chance for redemption.

After Ausar forced a turnover, Utah again had possession and the chance to take the lead. Erickson again drove into the lane and was fouled.

This time, he nailed both free throws.

Erickson finished the night with nine points, two assists, one steal and a rebound while playing 23 minutes.

“It’s definitely really fun, obviously a lot of connections on both sides, and it’s just super fun playing with the energy that the fans bring for both teams,” Erickson said, of playing in the rivalry game.

What’s next

Utah will be tested again this week with a trip to No. 10 Houston on Tuesday, followed by a home matchup against No. 25 Baylor.

The Cougars narrowly avoided an upset against UCF on Saturday, while the Bears were knocked off at home by TCU on Sunday.

A side note from Baylor’s loss: TCU, which Utah beat on the road last Wednesday, rose to No. 73 in the NET NCAA rankings by beating the Bears.

The Utes’ win on the road over the Horned Frogs now qualifies, at least for the moment, as a Quad 1 win.

The field is set for the NFC and AFC championship games, after the four divisional-round matchups over the weekend.

Philadelphia will host Washington in the NFC championship next Sunday (1 p.m. MST, Fox), while Kansas City will host Buffalo in the AFC championship (4:30 p.m. MST, CBS).

With it, there are eight NFL players with Utah ties who are one victory away from being headed to the Super Bowl.

The University of Utah is best-represented, with three former Utes on rosters of teams that advanced to conference championship weekend.

BYU has two former players whose teams are playing in next weekend’s action, while Utah State and Weber State each have one.

Timpview, Orem and East High will all be represented in the conference championships as well.

The divisional round results also brought the end of the season for nine players with Utah ties — the most notable names among that list are Detroit Lions All-Pro lineman Penei Sewell and Los Angles Rams star receiver Puka Nacua.

Here’s a look at how every Utah tie performed during the divisional round. A player is on the active roster unless otherwise indicated.

Bills 27, Ravens 25

Buffalo

• Cole Bishop, S, Utah: Bishop had three tackles, including a solo stop.
• Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State: Johnson had three tackles, including two solo stops, and a pass deflection on a third and goal play.
• Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah: Kincaid had one reception for 11 yards on two targets.

Baltimore

• Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU: Van Noy started at linebacker and had three tackles, including a solo stop, a half-sack and two QB hurries.
• Marcus Williams, S, Utah: Williams was not active for the game.

Eagles 28, Rams 22

Philadelphia

• Britain Covey, WR/RS, Utah and Timpview High: Covey did not play. He is currently on injured reserve.

Los Angeles

• Puka Nacua, WR, BYU and Orem High: Nacua started at wide receiver and caught six passes for a team-high 97 yards. That included a 16-yard catch on the Rams’ opening drive, which ended in a touchdown, as well as a 37-yard grab on Los Angeles’ final drive that got them down to the Philadelphia 21.

Commanders 45, Lions 31

Washington

• Michael Davis, CB, BYU: Davis was not active for the game.
• Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State: Wagner started at middle linebacker and had eight tackles, including two solo stops.

Detroit

• Tim Patrick, WR, Utah: Patrick had one reception for 22 yards on four targets.
• Penei Sewell, OT, Desert Hills High: Sewell started at right tackle for Detroit and played all 69 offensive snaps, as well as three on special teams.
• Sione Vaki, RB, Utah: Vaki played as a reserve but did not record a statistic.
• Jonah Williams, DL, Weber State: Williams played as a reserve but did not record a statistic.

Chiefs 23, Texans 14

Kansas City

• Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU and Orem High: Suamataia entered the game as a reserve.
• Siaki Ika, DT, East High: Ika did not play. He’s on Kansas City’s practice squad.

Houston

• Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham High: Schultz caught four passes for 63 yards, including a 34-yarder on Houston’s opening drive to help set up a field goal.
• Kedon Slovis, QB, BYU: Slovis did not play. He’s on Houston’s practice squad.