In Utah, here’s when this iconic, beloved — and long closed — restaurant will reopen

Logan • The historic Bluebird Restaurant in Logan served as a community center for more than a century.

Generations of Utah State University students met there for milkshakes, families dressed up for its Saturday dinners and locals gathered for its morning coffee — or its custom alternative, Iron Port and Cherry. It was the backdrop for wedding dinners, birthday celebrations and club gatherings.

That is, until 2020, when the restaurant closed and began undergoing renovations. As years passed, yearning fans shared their memories and passersby eagerly shared their glimpses of progress.

Now its owner has plans to reopen in the fall — and hopes it can become what it once was.

Along with numerous updates, owner George Daines shared on a recent tour, he has meticulously preserved and replicated the smallest details to ensure the diner retains its original charm and appearance. “We wanted to enhance it,” Daines said, “but when we do anything, we don’t want to take away its original character.”

New, elegant light fixtures, added booths with blue velvet upholstery, new flooring and bursts of blue and gold in its new decor are just some of the alterations.

Many of the renovations were done by hand, much like the restaurant was originally put together in the early 1900s, Daines said, including hand-carved wooden designs in the newly created mahogany candy cases.

“You even have the imperfections,” Daines said, “that come with doing things by hand.”

Daines said he wished he could have preserved every detail, such as the bar for its famous soda fountain. However, due to aging, many elements had to be replaced with what he believes are nearly identical replicas.

The Bluebird’s renovations also significantly expand the restaurant’s space. One addition is the Tabernacle Room, a previous storefront that had no windows. Now, it offers diners a view of the Logan Tabernacle right across the street through expansive glass windows.

Some spaces have been reimagined for both function and comfort. The Pioneer Room has been slightly shortened to make room for expanded restrooms and has been renamed the Bluebird Room. Meanwhile, a brand-new space upstairs called the Nest features a more cozy area to dine, Daines said. The upstairs ballroom has received subtle updates.

Although the restaurant was initially set to open earlier this year, Daines explained, the person he has chosen to operate it recommended expanding the kitchen, prompting him to restart some renovations about a month ago. As a result, the Bluebird is now expected to reopen in the fall.

To accommodate the expanded kitchen, Daines acquired the neighboring storefront, Coppins, which is just as historic as the original Bluebird building, he said. This newly integrated space will house the enlarged kitchen, as well as a new Mural Room, where the iconic Ev Thorpe mural — depicting the valley through the years and what he envisioned for its future — will be preserved and prominently displayed.

Additional entrances have been added to improve accessibility, including a new doorway at the end of an alley on Center Street. This entrance will soon feature a Bluebird sign and banner, Daines said.

‘Smashing success’

Almost anybody from Cache Valley or who attended Utah State University has a story from the Bluebird, known for its themed rooms and elegance.

Established by O. Guy Cardon, Mark Neuberger and Julius Bergsjo in 1914, the restaurant began as a candy and ice cream shop at 12 West Center and in the early 1920s shifted into the new building at 19 North Main, and grew into one of the nicest places to dine in town.

On any Saturday in the 1930s, ‘40s, or ‘50s, residents from rural Cache County towns would dress up to have lunch or dinner at the Bluebird. Daines himself has memories of his grandparents taking him there to get banana splits, and his family’s stories about the restaurant go back even farther in time to when his parents were dating.

Iconic Bluebird chocolate, once made in the restaurant’s candy factory and later sourced from companies that included Guittard, was served, as well as Iron Port and Cherry — a favorite drink created by Neuberger for the many customers who didn’t drink coffee and preferred soft drinks, as many did and still do in Logan.

Neuberger recognized that coffee wouldn’t be a big seller, with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dominating the Cache Valley, Cardon’s son told The Herald Journal in 1985. So he invented a caffeine-free carbonated beverage with flavorings — an early take on the dirty sodas that have swept Utah today.

“Some people would even buy the syrup to take back to Provo or wherever and mix with club soda,” Guy N. Cardon said. “It was a smashing success.”

Iron Port will return, Daines confirmed. He also now co-owns the nearby Bluebird Candy Co. with Justin Hamilton, he said, and will be offering its creations in the restaurant.

But he’s keeping everything else about the menu under wraps — except that Dustin McKay, the chef of the Beehive Grill, will be in charge of designing it.

”We hope to reinstate it as a kind of social center,” Daines said. “You know, you get married, this is where you’re going to have your wedding breakfast. If you’re having a birthday party for Grandpa, you’re going to do it up in the Nest. That’s what we’d like to see.”

‘An expression of love’

After the restaurant was operated by the Cardon family for decades, Cardon’s son sold it in 1994 to An Sheng Xu and his family, who had been employees for many years and preserved its look. Daines acquired it in 2019, he said.

The restaurant initially was forced to close in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which Daines said turned it into a “petri dish” for the illness. Seizing the opportunity, he decided to begin remodeling — which ended up taking years.

“When you crack open an old building,” he said, “you find more and more things that have to be fixed.”

In November, when the Bluebird’s renovations were nearly completed before Daines was told he needed to expand the kitchen, Lisa Baskin had the chance to see the updated restaurant while hosting her son’s wedding there. Baskin grew up going to the Bluebird at least once a week.

“It’s exciting to see that it’s a huge investment in both time and money,” Baskin said, “and also, an expression of love for the tradition of the place and its inherent beauty.”

Her son and his wife were married in the Logan Temple and then held a civil ceremony in the Ballroom. Baskin said it was the perfect venue for the couple, as they had dreamed of a Bluebird wedding, being from Logan.

“For me, it’s sort of the gold thread of the tapestry of Logan,” Baskin said. “It really is such a beautiful both living artifact as well as venue. I’m so delighted that it has been restored and put to use. It will be so frequented by so many people, far and wide.”

Ross Peterson, a history professor at Utah State University, used to be part of the Bluebird Coffee Club — a group of men who would meet every single morning at the restaurant to discuss happenings around town.

For generations, Peterson said, residents have identified the Bluebird as a staple in Logan and Cache Valley. He thinks its reopening could reinstate some of the community and vibrancy that downtown Logan once had, especially around the holidays.

“I would guess it will be more beautiful than it’s ever been,” Peterson said. “I mean, it had its own sense of 1915 beauty, and certainly the soda fountain was iconic. George Daines has an amazing appreciation for that history, and of the community, and in trying to do what he can to keep many of the treasures of Logan intact.”