What Kind Of Restaurant Does St. George Need?

A friend of mine, Chris Connors, posted on the Facebook page "St. George Word Of Mouth" the question, "What is a restaurant concept/style you think would do well in St George?"

Connors, who owns and operates Farmstead Bakery and Kairos Mediterranean, knows a little about restaurants and unique ideas (try the "George" sandwich at Farmstead and you'll discover what I'm talking about).

Chris admittedly expected a few responses, maybe 100 or even 150.

As of this afternoon, Chris has gotten 822 replies. Wow!

What Chris was looking for when he posted the question was inspiration, perhaps some ideas on what St. George wants and needs.

Surprisingly, though some fantastic ideas came from the comments, a lot of people requested a Cheesecake Factory.

"That was surprising," Connors said. "I was expecting something like 'I'm from blah-blah-blah and we had a good dumpling shop or some good Chinese takeout. Korean, Italian, whatever. Not Cheesecake factory."

Despite requests like Cheesecake Factory and Long John Silver's, there were plenty of fresh ideas and Connors did get some inspiration from the comments. Here is a sampling:

• "I wish we had a downtown restaurant on an upper level that had more of a big city vibe. Piano bar. High-end feel. Modern." -- Jen B.
• "A sit down coffee shop.,Chinese food.,BBQ, A homestyle diner.
  Anything that isn't soda, cookies, donuts or McDonald's or Burger King." -- Jodi B.
• "Drive thru salad shop. Pick from a selection of favorites (Caesar, Cobb, Asian, Southwest, etc.) OR build your toppings. 2 sizes: half or full. Meats cost extra (steak, chicken, extra ham, etc.)." -- Jake K.
• "I see posts constantly asking about good Chinese food here…we are lacking!!" --- Victoria S.
• "A good Jewish deli. Corned beef and matzo ball soup. YUM." -- Deborah B.
• "New York style pizzeria with good pizza, wings and chicken fingers along with a good homemade ranch and all your Italian favorites." -- Brittany W.
• "Personally, I really want a medieval/nerd themed tavern or cafe!!!" -- McCoy S.
• "A Caribbean themed restaurant. Complete with Mojitos, a Reggae band on Friday nights and plenty of Cuban Expresso and Mimosas with Sunday Brunch. But I don't think Utah is ready for that" -- Lance H.
• "Someone should open a Casserole Cafe. A variety of comfort food casseroles…enchilada casserole, chicken broccoli casserole, funeral potatoes, hamburger casserole, breakfast casserole, chicken curry casserole, tuna casserole etc…" Cathy M.

Connors said he loved all the feedback, but finished with this admonition: "Please let’s all support mom and pop places. Our city will be totally unauthentic with Canes, Cheesecakes Factory, Spaghetti Factory. We can and should demand better than that."