Granny Annie’s Is Now Annie’s Diner: New Owner, Expanded Menu
Granny Annie’s big breakfasts are a Kaysville tradition. And although the restaurant’s name has changed since Jason Sanders took ownership last year, those classic breakfasts are still the same. But you’ll also find more options for lunch and dinner.
I did a story on Annie’s for the Standard-Examiner last month, and a few days ago had breakfast there with some pickleball friends.
Like many “big breakfast” places (such as Ramblin Roads in Bountiful and Ogden) , Annie’s Diner serves breakfast all day. And when I say “big,” I mean pancakes the size of a dinner plate.
My order of hash browns could have fed a small family. (I took the leftovers home and had them for breakfast the next day as well!)
The omelets that my friends ordered were generously portioned.
If you’re looking for something “normal” size, I’d go for the waffle, which is still pretty big.
The original owner, Annie Sill Curry, grew up working in her parents’ Sill’s Café, the longtime Layton landmark known for its down-home breakfasts. In 2003, she opened Granny Annie’s at 286 N. 400 West, and it soon gained a reputation for its tried-and-true breakfast menu, including the signature Kaysville Special – hash browns, eggs, bacon, gravy and a Utah-style scone, for $7.99.
For those new to the Utah version, “scones,” are not the dainty muffins nibbled at British tea, but hearty deep-fried discs of dough as big as a Frisbee, slathered with honey butter.
Granny Annie’s was one of Jason Sander’s favorite go-to restaurants. So when the Kaysville attorney heard that Annie, now age 75, was going to close it, he was spurred to action.
“I came here all the time,” Sanders said, “My mother-in-law and father-in-law even have menu items named after them. When we heard she wanted to sell and couldn’t find anyone, I knew I had to buy it.”
Having worked in five different restaurants putting himself through college, “I knew how stupid I was buying a restaurant. But I love our staff, our food, and being here chatting with people.”
(Having observed Sanders moving from table to table, pouring coffee refills and helping customers, I agree that he seems to enjoy it.)
But, Sanders couldn’t give up his legal practice to run it. So he turned to his nephew and wife, Braden and Mo Bijold, who owned a catering business and had restaurant experience, to manage the diner.
They took over management in August 2020, in the midst of the Covid pandemic.
“We built a budget that could handle six months of the pandemic when we bought it,” Sanders said. “And six months later, we began to be profitable. Things are starting to stabilize.”
Annie’s daughter and granddaughter still work at the diner, said Sanders, and Annie visits occasionally. He changed the name to Annie’s Diner, he said, “because she’s not here, but we wanted to keep her name in it. We are carrying on the heart that Annie had when she opened this place. We are elevating it.”
They have kept the made-from-scratch diner classics.
“Our chicken fried steak is a classic, and one of our most popular breakfast items,” said Sanders. “And the gravy is homemade every day.”
After spending many hours in the kitchen, Braden Bijold said, “I know our menu intimately,” he said. “I make the gravy myself four days out of six.”
He said the cooks come in early in the morning to make everything fresh. “For our hash browns, we cook real potatoes every morning and shred them. We can go through about 350 pounds of potatoes.”
The restaurant has a loyal following. “A lot of menu items are named after regulars that ordered something so often that Annie would name it after them,” said Mo Bijold. Such as Ned’s Breakfast – hash browns, eggs and a choice of breakfast meat. Or Donnie’s Omelet of ham, bacon, sausage and cheese.
“When I get here at 5 a.m., there are already guys sitting out in their cars in the parking lot who walk in with me, and they know how to start the coffee machine,” said Braden Bijold. “They will sit for three or four hours here drinking coffee.”
The new management soon found out you don’t mess with tradition — including the thick-cut bacon. When a supplier inadvertently delivered an order of thin bacon, the staff cooked and served it. “And we nearly had a riot, with customer complaints and people posting on Facebook. We called it Bacon-gate,” said Sanders.
In the beginning, the Bijolds planned to cut the large menu in half by omitting items that weren’t selling. But after the first week, they had sold every dish on the menu, and felt they couldn’t delete anything.
“There are people who come in specifically for liver and onions,” said Braden Bijold.
Instead of dropping items, they’ve added six signature burgers; and are expanding salad options, as well as bakery items like pie, cake and cookies.
“Annie’s did well for breakfast, so that side was plug-and-play,” Braden Bijold said. “But we wanted to find a way to elevate lunch and dinner.”
“So many people associate us with breakfast, but we want them to know about our burgers, and our dinners that are all homemade,” said Mo Bijold. “We roast our turkey and beef every day. It takes us two hours to make our mashed potatoes, with real potatoes.”
The new burgers start with a juicy half-pound patty. The most popular, the Cowboy, is topped with bacon, onion rings, barbecue sauce and pepper jack cheese.
The second favorite is the ginormous Cadillac, with two half-pound patties, four strips of thick-sliced bacon, and four slices of cheese.
Another favorite is the mushroom & Swiss burger, with grilled mushrooms, Swiss cheese and sauteed onions.
And there’s the scone sandwich — a deep-fried scone is cut in half and made into a sandwich with roast turkey or roast beef. “It’s unique, you’ll never find it anywhere else,” said Mo Bijold.
The French fries are made from fresh potatoes that are parboiled, then battered and fried, so they’re crispy on the outside and tender inside. The crunchy-battered onion rings are also made in-house.
The event center in the back of the restaurant has seating for 120, or standing room for 300.
“We get a lot of business meetings, yoga class on Tuesday nights, and weddings, “ said Mo Bijold, who oversees the events center.
Mo Bijold adds that if you have an unusual order, such as the recent one for 200 slices of cooked bacon for takeout, “If it’s within our range, we will go to great lengths to figure it out for you.”
As with other restaurants, staffing is a challenge.
“it’s a large, diverse menu; and without a lot of cooking experience, it’s too fast-paced for a lot of people,” said Braden Bijold.
Location: 286 N. 400 West, Kaysville
Contact: 801-544-8817; https://www.anniesdiner.com/
Hours: Monday-Saturday 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
Price range: $2.99 (scone with honey butter) to $14.99 (Cadillac burger)