SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – A new localized food experience is coming to Salt Lake City’s Granary District. Woodbine Food Hall is set to debut this month at 545 West 700 South.
The bar, complete with a rooftop patio, is scheduled to launch on July 13. It adjoins the venue’s vast food hall housing nine different cuisines, the first six set to open for business on July 20. The back of the complex includes an outdoor space that the owners plan to use in the future to house food trucks and host pop-up markets and performances.
Though the food hall will run in a family-friendly cafeteria style with a European market flare, beer and wine will be served in this space, while guests will be able to purchase liquor in the bar area (21+ only). This development is only phase one of a two-part project. Phase two, expected to be completed sometime this September, will establish around 35,000 square feet of new office space in a nearby building.
When sitting down with ABC4, the three founders, partners, and owners of Woodbine: Max, Zach, and Ryan, shared their excitement to bring a new kind of food venue to Utah’s Granary District. “Max fell in love with the Granary District about ten years ago and ended up buying this project around three years ago,” said Zach.
Though the idea for a food hall was a sort of homage to the building’s history in the food industry, as the previous owner utilized the space for food manufacturing, the decision was based largely around the owners’ aspirations to create a welcoming space that would attract people to the Granary. “The genesis of the food hall came from, ‘How do we make this a public space so that not only the community in the area, but also the greater Salt Lake can start having a reason to come to this side of town?'” Max explained.
And what better reason to venture out than good food and drink? You’re sure to find both at Woodbine, along with a diverse sense of community and an appreciation for history. “We wanted to create attraction and culture while keeping it authentic in the vein of the Granary, which is manufacturing. So, our whole mantra here was to go craft. All of our vendors are local Salt Lake businesses. Some don’t even have a restaurant location yet. Some, this will be their second location,” said Max.
What differentiates Woodbine from other food halls is the independence given to its vendors. Whereas other food halls in the state are owned by one company, Max, Zach, and Ryan only have ownership over Woodbine’s bar area. “It’s important to us that we don’t compete with our vendors. We want them to be successful, that’s why we helped all of them get licenses to serve beer and wine through Utah’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (DABS),” Zach shared.
“Part of my inspiration for the layout of the food hall were the food markets you see in Europe with a bunch of different, independent vendors. We want all of our vendors to be able to curate their space how they want it and operate their business how they want to. This project is truly a partnership with local vendors,” Max added.
As of now, the guys have locked in six vendors out of the nine booths available inside the food hall. “We want to give the initial six the best shot at success. If there’s more competition, our vendors will be making less money. The idea was to start small and curated,” Max explained.
“We also want feedback. We want to know what the community wants. We picked the vendors we thought would do best here. Now it’s time for the community to tell us what they think. There is so much room for growth and opportunity,” Ryan chipped in.
As of today, the vendors that will be featured in Woodbine come July 20 include:
3 Cups Coffee – With a current location in Holladay, this cafe’s website boasts its commitment to “providing the best damn coffee in Utah” through a family-run, community-grounded business.
Mozz Pizza – This artisan pizza joint is based out of Provo. The owners implement their value of quality through their three-day sourdough fermentation process and homemade mozzarella recipe. Max, a current New Yorker, deemed Mozz “the best pizza in Utah.”
Tosh Ramen – Run by famous Japanese chef Toshio Sekikawa of Naked Fish and Mikado, this booth will focus solely on savory, soupy noodle dishes.
Square Kitchen – Currently run as a commissary, this venue prepares food that is sold by different food trucks throughout the state. Their booth at Woodbine will be the company’s first brick-and-mortar location. Square Kitchen offers a variety of diverse, ethnic food options.
Deadpan Sandwich – The group described Deadpan as a new, “stacked,” hot sandwich option. This will be Chef Taylor Giullian’s first location. Giullian is a self-taught chef with over six years of food service experience under his belt, most of which he acquired at Sundance Mountain Resort.
The Taco Lady – For Max, Zach, and Ryan, tacos were a must-have in their food hall. “We scoured everywhere for good tacos and really didn’t have any luck, so Zach ended up recruiting this lady he and Ryan used to work with who made the best tacos,” Max said.
“I would joke with her that we were going to open her up a taco restaurant eventually and now we are. Max and I actually went and tried countless amounts of tacos,” Zach laughed.
“She used to cook for us before our shifts, like ten years ago. Remembering how amazing that food was and how sweet she is, it’s so exciting to be able to come full circle and give her the opportunity to start her business,” Ryan added.
For the three partners, offering a diverse array of food choices was a necessity. “We really want to bridge the gap between the East and the West. We want people from all throughout Utah to visit Woodbine,” said Zach. The group is leaving it up to the mixed vendors they decided on to bring in all kinds of people from all areas of Utah.
In the end, the owners just want their guests to enjoy their Woodbine experience. “The history, the coffee, the pizza, the atmosphere, we want guests to enjoy all of it. You can hang out here on a bar stool sipping a coffee for five minutes, or stay here for six hours lounging in a love seat. Whichever it is, we want you to feel like this is a place for you,” Max explained.
Stay up to date with Woodbine by following their Instagram page, and start planning your very first visit this July. Just be sure to set time aside to snap a quick shot in front of the plant wall or graffiti wall, painted by locals, of course.
