A year after rescuing the Robintino’s restaurant in Bountiful, owners William and Tali Bruce are expanding the popular Italian brand into Salt Lake County.
On Dec. 26, a new Robintino’s takeout shop will open at 926 E. 5600 South in Murray. The scaled-down menu is available for pickup and delivery, and includes pizza, lasagna and the signature breadsticks, as well as new items such as macaroni and cheese and funeral potatoes.
The concept was born out of the pandemic, said Tali Bruce. The couple — who also own several ‘Bout Time Pub and Grub eateries — planned to open more sit-down restaurants under the Robintino’s name in 2020.
But takeout and delivery took off at the Bountiful location during COVID-19, and the couple reworked those plans. They bought three Red Hanger dry cleaning shops, in Murray, Sugar House and Holladay, that had shut down after more people started working from home.
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(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Tali, Baron, and William Bruce interact with a customer at the new Murray location of Robintino's on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. Robintino's Restaurant is expanding and has taken over the old Red Hanger dry cleaners in Murray, Sugar House and Cottonwood Heights where to-go only shops for their pizza and Italian food are opening.
They remodeled the Murray location first, adding a full kitchen and keeping the built-in portico outside to keep customers and employees covered. “There’s a little bit of space in each store,” Bruce said, “if we want to add a handful of tables down the road.”
The other locations are expected to open sometime in 2021. To order, visit robintinos.com.
Who will be the new alcohol boss?
Who will run Utah’s alcohol department now that the executive director of the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Sal Petilos, is retiring?
The three choices include the current deputy director, a former prosecutor and a woman with bipartisan political experience.
The names of the three nominees have been forwarded to Gov.-elect Spencer Cox for consideration. His selection will have to be confirmed by the Utah Senate.
Under state law, the state liquor commission selects the three candidates for consideration. They include:
• Deputy Director Cade Meier, who has overseen the DABC’s day-to-day sales and warehouse operations since 2015.
• Utah attorney Angela Micklos, who is currently the director of compliance and licensing at the DABC. She previously worked as a deputy Salt Lake County district attorney and served on the Utah Board of Pardons.
• Tiffany Clason, the district director for outgoing Rep. Ben McAdams who previously worked as Gov. Gary Herbert’s director of constituent services.
End of an era at flour mill
When Sherm Robinson officially retires as general manager of Lehi Mills next week, it will mark the end of an era for one of Utah’s oldest food companies.
Robinson, whose grandfather acquired the mill in 1910, has worked for more than half a century at the family-owned company and has been general manager since 1980, when he took over from his father.
During that time, Robinson has seen the mill through good times — like the 1984 filming of the hit movie “Footloose” — and bad. In 2013, the company emerged from bankruptcy proceedings and was sold to new owners, who kept Robinson at the helm.
On Dec. 31, Robinson will pass the torch to chief operating officer Brock Knight, the company said in a news release. Knight has worked for Lehi Mills for two decades and was trained by Robinson.
Looking back on his family’s milling legacy, Robinson offered these words: “If you keep working at it, things work out.”
Ritual opens chocolate cafe
The owners of Ritual Chocolate have opened a new 12,000-square-foot production facility outside of Park City that includes a cafe and test kitchen for classes, tastings and events.
Located in the same building as Pink Elephant Coffee Roasters and June Pies, at 2175 W. 3000 South, in Charleston in Wasatch County, the Ritual cafe is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The cafe menu includes quiche from June Pies, paninis made with Hawk & Sparrow bread and sweet treats from Suss cookies. There will be coffee and espresso and tastings of Ritual’s signature chocolate.
“We hope that this will truly become a hub for food, drink and chocolate education,” co-owner and founder Robbie Stout said in a news release. “It is a bigger and brighter space that gives us room to grow.”
Dining yurts at Deer Valley
St. Regis Deer Valley opened its new yurt dining village this week. The three round structures have mahogany lattice work, a plexiglass dome, windows, radiant heat and rustic seating.
Each yurt seats up to eight people and is named after the Olympic events held at Deer Valley during the 2002 Winter Games: Slalom, Moguls and Aerials.
