PAYSON -- Sandy Huff says she's not a singer, but she is part of the Dalton Brothers gang.
Huff and the Daltons, a singing duo, recently held their official grand opening for Dalton's Fine Dining, which includes the third Hickory Kist deli in Utah County. The other two are in Provo and Spanish Fork. The restaurant's unofficial opening came in October; the deli opened on Labor Day.Now up and running, the rustic-styled restaurant will feature entertainment nightly with the Dalton Brothers -- local recording artists and brothers Dennis and Tim Morganson -- performing on weekends. The Dalton name didn't come from the infamous outlaws who rode roughshod over the West a century ago. It's simply their mother's maiden name and their middle names, explained Dennis Morganson.
Three Dalton shows are planned for New Year's Eve, which will include a mix of standards and Broadway and country music. Other local talent will perform through the week beginning in January.
Twice the Dalton Brothers have hit the Top 100 on the country music chart. Once for "Yes Ma'am" and the second time for "Whoever Lost You." While the songs never made it big in Utah, they did well in the Midwest and were heard on some 300 radio stations around the country, Tim Morganson said. In March they'll be back in Nashville to do more recording.
Dalton's Fine Dining isn't the first restaurant venture for the Morgansons or Huff. "We're insane. We all like to cook," Huff quipped.
Back in the 1980s the Morgansons, including a third brother, Kelly, operated Pullman Bed and Breakfast on the south end of University Avenue in Provo, now a vacant, historic mansion. There they provided weekend dining and dinner shows.
After five years, the three decided to pursue other ventures. Kelly Morganson now runs a frame shop just around the corner from the new Dalton's Fine Dining. But the restaurant business was still in Tim and Dennis Morganson's blood. They acquired a former auto parts store and remodeled it into Dalton's Fine Dining.
People are awed by the transformation, Tim Morganson said. Before it was an auto parts store, the building was a pharmacy.
Now exuding a warm, country atmosphere, the restaurant features meals made daily from scratch, Huff said. "We wanted a place that was warm and inviting," said Dennis Morganson. "A gathering place."
Huff started with Hickory Kist in Spanish Fork several years ago. After she left, she kept in touch with its owners, which allowed her to open another Hickory Kist here.
The trio expects Dalton's Fine Dining will draw throughout Utah County. And maybe, just maybe, Dennis Morganson said, the Daltons' popularity will spread and they'll eventually be able to open a string of restaurants.