A pair of popular Joseph Smith Memorial Building restaurants are expected to reopen this year, ending a five-year hiatus tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and Temple Square construction.
However, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has another plan for another restaurant that once drew downtown crowds.
The Garden Restaurant, previously known as the Nauvoo Cafe, is on track to begin its “casual dining experience” at the end of June, said Gary Porter, president of Temple Square Hospitality Corporation. He said many of the items offered will be the same favorites as before, such as soups and sandwiches, “along with some delicious new offerings.”
The Roof Restaurant, on the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, is slated to reopen in November, offering diners a stunning view of the redesigned Temple Square landscape.
“It will no longer be a buffet restaurant, but it will be an a la carte restaurant open for lunch and dinner with a wide variety of menu choices,” he said, adding there will be spaces set aside for private dining areas and large group events.
Temple Square was home to the Nauvoo Cafe, Lion House Pantry, the Roof and another version of the Garden Restaurant before The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embarked on its plan to renovate the Salt Lake Temple and redesign Temple Square in late 2019. However, the restaurants have been closed since March 2020, as the pandemic crept into Utah.
Although most of the rest of Temple Square has reopened in phases over the past few years, the restaurants have remained closed because of renovations at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Beehive House and Lion House, as the church added the historic buildings to its renovation list in 2022.
Now, as those buildings start to reopen, only two will remain. The original Garden Restaurant will be blended into the Roof’s operations, while its name is moved to the ground floor to reflect its proximity to Temple Square’s garden plaza, Porter said. The building will be home to banquet services for wedding receptions, business meetings or other groups.
“The menus will be broadened,” he said of the Temple Square dining experience. “They’ll be very family friendly, community friendly (and) business friendly.”
Lion House Pantry, located east of the former Hotel Utah, will not return either, said Kelly Smoot, a spokeswoman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She said the church has new plans for the historic former home of Brigham Young.
“The Lion House will become part of a toured historic site open to the public that includes the Beehive, the Lion House and the surrounding landscape,” she wrote. “The Lion House will contain visitor services, restored historic rooms and exhibit spaces that teach about Latter-day Saint history from the 1850s to the 1950s.”
It’s slated to reopen in 2027, just before the church’s Salt Lake Temple open house celebration.
Homemade rolls — made famous from the Lion House — won’t be gone from Temple Square, though. They will have a new home in the Garden Restaurant.
Church officials had previously briefed other government and community leaders about its final construction plans and reopening projections. For instance, they revealed earlier this year that they expect the Salt Lake Temple’s six-month open house will bring 3 to 5 million people downtown when it takes place in 2027.
Juan Becerra, government and community relations manager for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, likened the daily traffic to having general conference crowds every day for half a year.
Its projections have generated plenty of interest from downtown businesses eager for a shot in the arm as they still struggle to fully recover from the pandemic. Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance officials used the church projections, estimating the event could bring 22,000 additional downtown visits daily and $320 million in additional spending at downtown businesses and restaurants.
“Just anecdotally, as we’ve been talking about this with visitors and with merchants, (and) they’re really excited,” Dee Brewer, the nonprofit’s executive director, told KSL.com last month.
County leaders appeared to be thrilled about another aspect of life returning to Temple Square when they were briefed on it last week.
Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton and Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson asked about Temple Square’s famed rolls as restaurants were mentioned — rolls that will soon have a new home.
Becerra wasn’t surprised.
“That is the second-most asked question,” he said. “No. 1: When is it going to be done? And will there be (homemade) rolls?”