Straw Market Gets a Cafe Makeover

The Straw Market in Pleasant View has changed hands over the years.

Last July, Jessy and Kelli Jones of Pleasant View bought and renovated the eatery at 879 West Pleasant View Drive, giving it a cafe vibe and adding “Cafe” onto the name. I did a recent story about it for the Standard-Examiner.

But the main claim to fame — the cinnamon rolls — haven’t changed.  Every morning, customers come in for a frosting-slathered roll with their morning coffee, or order dozens of them for pick-up.

  “Over the years, we have gone through different owners and different vibes, but we still have that same hometown feel,” said Bailee Montgomery, Straw Market Café’s manager. “We still have the same customer base. It’s still the same menu.” 

   Montgomery has worked at Straw Market under different owners, beginning at age 16. She left and worked at Café Zupas for awhile before returning.

Jessy and Kelli Jones moved to Pleasant View in 2008 after traveling the world while on active duty with the Air Force. On their website, they say they “count themselves lucky that they landed in Pleasant View and have been able to raise their five kids in this awesome community!”  

  They bought the Straw Market as an investment, and didn’t quit their day jobs. Jessy is an engineer and Kelli is a math teacher. The goal, Jessy said, is to have good managers taking care of daily operations.

“It’s a small, tight-knit community, and we are excited to continue to get to know people through this opportunity.”

  The couple spent a “fast and furious two months” renovating the store. “It was always a place where the kids hung out, and the previous owner was trying to change it into a place for sandwiches and hamburgers. We wanted to evolve it into a place where families felt comfortable hanging out,” said Jessy.

  Now, the ambiance feels less like a modified convenience store and more like a cafe. The Joneses added baseboard trim, dining tables of reclaimed wood, and a sofa and chairs for those who might want to relax a while.

  But there are still some grab-and-go conveniences — refrigerated shelves of cold drinks, self-serve soda dispensers, and candy and snack displays.

  According to Jessy, the store became the Straw Market in 2006. At one point, it had the same owner as the Straw Market in Salt Lake City. With various changes in ownership, the store has been called a market, a grill, and a bakery.

  The clientele varies with the time of day. Opening at 6 a.m., there are regulars who come in for breakfasts such as whipped cream-topped French toast, or crepes filled with Nutella, strawberry filling or bananas.  

There are also omelets, including egg-whites-only. And breakfast burritos filled with scrambled eggs, cheddar, a choice of bacon, sausage or ham; and a choice of hash browns or cubed potatoes. There’s a vegetarian burrito with onions, mushrooms and peppers. On request, the tortilla can be gluten-free.

Some come in for their coffee and a cinnamon roll ($1 per roll); others pre-order dozens of cinnamon rolls to pick up for work or school functions, beginning at 7 a.m.

“During the holidays we do a ton of cinnamon rolls — we did 2,000 of Christmas Eve,” said Montgomery.

During lunch, the café turns into a teen hangout for the nearby Weber High students.

  “All the kids come for lunch and we love it,” Montgomery said. “Then we also get construction crews, so it’s very busy. But I’ve always enjoyed that about the job, it’s a good type of busy. We have lines out the door during lunch time.”

  Besides burgers, fries and house-made onion rings, the cafe has a deal going with Papa Murphy’s pizzas, which are baked and served by the slice.

  Now the weather is cooler, a daily house-made soup is offered, such as pumpkin curry, potato cheese, broccoli cheddar or chicken noodle.

  A patty melt, created by a manager, Kenji Olsen, was recently added to the menu. The beef patty is topped with sauteed onions and melted pepper jack and cheddar cheese, on white or wheat bread.

  “Right now we’re still getting our feet underneath us, so we’re not making a lot of changes with the menu,” Jessy Jones said. “In the future, we might add bread bowls to serve with the soup, and maybe a dinner operation.”

Contact: 801-782-2200 or https://strawmarketcafe.com

Hours: 6 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays, Saturday from 6 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Sunday.