Why SugarHouse Barbeque is closing its doors after 26 years

This article is excerpted from the Utah Eats newsletter, compiled by Kolbie Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune’s food and drink reporter. To get the full newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday, become a subscriber by going to sltrib.com/newsletters.

Hello, Eaters!

The Salt Lake City food scene got some sad news last week, when The SugarHouse Barbeque Company announced it was closing after 26 years.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Frank Torina, an employee of SugarHouse Barbeque Company for nearly 20-years, is pictured on Monday, July 15, 2024, as the eatery nears the end of an era following announced plans for their upcoming closure. (Francisco Kjolseth/)

According to an Instagram post by the business, their last day open will be in mid-August. The post thanked SugarHouse Barbeque Company employees “past and present,” saying, “you helped form and create who we are and we couldn’t have done it without you.”

The post didn’t provide details about why the restaurant is closing. But when I spoke with general manager Jeff Berg, he listed more than a few, including the rising costs of food and paper products, having to constantly change their prices, struggling to pinpoint workable prices for their food, people relying on takeout platforms like DoorDash, the “volatility” of the industry, and the ongoing construction in the Sugar House neighborhood.

Berg also said that although they’ve been busy since making their announcement, business has mostly been “sporadic,” even though “summer months are generally pretty good for us.”

Berg said it was a “tough decision” to close.

“I didn’t want to wait to be forced out and have all my employees come in to a note on the door,” Berg said. “That is the last thing we wanted. So we’re closing on our terms.”

The SugarHouse Barbeque Company opened as Red Bones in 1996, right where the S Line streetcar crosses 700 East, Berg said. Red Bones was later renamed SugarHouse Barbeque Company, and after the streetcar went in, the business moved to its current location at 880 E. 2100 South.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The SugarHouse Barbeque Company, pictured on Monday, July 15, 2024, nears the end of an era following announced plans for their upcoming closure. (Francisco Kjolseth/)

After the move, “things were off to a great start” for a time, Berg said, “then COVID fell upon us.”

I visited SugarHouse Barbeque Company on Saturday for the first and final time. Read more about that meal in the “Dish of the Week” section of this newsletter.

Live deliciously,

Kolbie

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Why SugarHouse Barbeque is closing its doors after 26 years

Why SugarHouse Barbeque is closing its doors after 26 years

Why SugarHouse Barbeque is closing its doors after 26 years

Why SugarHouse Barbeque is closing its doors after 26 years

Why SugarHouse Barbeque is closing its doors after 26 years