Burger Stop Expanding to Salt Lake City -

*The Burger Stop’s bacon cheeseburger is the menu’s top-seller. It’s a 1/3-pound patty topped with bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce and “Cruiser sauce,” the restaurant’s version of fry sauce.* *photo courtesy of The Burger Stop.*

For 30 years, Burger Stop has been serving up burgers and shakes in Layton, amid its classic car-themed decor. And now, folks in Salt Lake won’t have to travel to Layton to get a taste of the Burger Stop menu.

Last year, original founders Mark and Deanna Theobald sold their retro-style restaurant to the Wright family — Brent and Karen Wright, and sons Andrew and Nikolas. When I interviewed them for a Standard-Examiner story in September, they mentioned they were looking at expanding.

*Brent and Karen Wright, Andrew Wright and Nik Wright, bought the 30-year-old Burger Stop in Layton and are expanding to Salt Lake City.*

And it’s happened, according to a Facebook post in November:

“We have some exciting news to announce – Burger Stop is coming to Salt Lake City! This has been a huge team effort, and collaboration with some truly talented individuals to make this happen, but we are so happy to debut Burger Stop SLC. We look forward to bringing our iconic pillar of Layton to the great people of Salt Lake City.”

But instead of building new locations, Burger Stop SLC is thinking outside the box with two different approaches:

Satellite kitchen/home delivery– Burger Stop SLC is using a satellite kitchen, to deliver to the whole Salt Lake Valley via partners such as Door Dash/Uber Eats/Grub Hub, etc.

For the dine-in experience, Burger Stop is providing the food for Patrick’s Pub at 163 W. 200 South (across the street from the Salt Palace).

Patrick’s Pub is a neighborhood-style bar, so folks have to be 21 and over to enjoy the Burger Stop’s menu there.

When does this happen? According to Burger Stop’s announcement on Dec. 11, they are now up and running and taking orders. Check it out!)

Meanwhile, you can eat at the Layton location. Aside from the top-selling bacon cheeseburger (see photo above), here are a few of Burger Stop’s other menu items:

*The Philly cheesesteak at Burger Stop in Layton. photo by Valerie Phillips*

One of Brent Wright’s favorites is the Philly cheesesteak, with steak strips, Swiss cheese, green peppers, and grilled onions on a hoagie roll. “It’s so big that we can split it and share it,” he said.

Pastrami burgers are a uniquely Utah thing, and Andrew Wright said he would put Burger Stop’s version up against anyone’s.

*The turkey bacon avocado sandwich at the Burger Stop in Layton, with onion rings and Cruiser sauce. photo by Valerie Phillips*

Karen Wright’s favorite is the turkey bacon avocado sandwich, which comes with a choice of white, wheat or a hoagie roll.

The top-selling breakfast item is the meaty Flat Tire Breakfast Burrito, stuffed with ham, bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns and cheddar. But there’s also a full breakfast menu of omelets, pancakes and scones.

The Big Block Breakfast Burger is a fried egg-topped burger, so theoretically, you can have breakfast and lunch at the same time.

The Wright family always dreamed of running a restaurant together. But instead of starting a new restaurant from scratch, they wanted to mitigate some of the risk by buying a legacy restaurant with an established fan base, said Nik Wright.

The ordering station at the Burger Stop in Layton. The sign challenges guests to eat the monster “Deuce” burger within 30 minutes for a free T-shirt. It has six 1/3-pound patties. photo by Valerie Phillips

Before Burger Stop, Brent had been a locomotive engineer with Union Pacific Railroad, and worked 10 years at Tony’s Pizza in Ogden. Karen had worked at Hill Air Force Base, as did Andrew, who has a master’s degree in business. Nik graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, Arizona, and worked in the restaurant/food industry.

*The dining area at the Burger Stop has a retro ’50s vibe. photo by Valerie Phillips*

So far, so good. “Layton is very supportive of small businesses,” Brent Wright said. “This community goes out of their way to support them.”

The location initially opened in the 1970s as a Dee’s Hamburger Drive-In, a Utah-based chain. Old-timers will remember the “Let’s go to Dee’s” ad jingle. After it closed, the building was leased by a Hardee’s fast food franchise in the late ‘80’s.

*Classic car decor at Burger Stop in Layton. photo by Valerie Phillips*

When the Theobalds opened it as the Burger Stop in 1993, their winning formula included ‘50s retro décor, oldies background music, hefty burgers and shakes, and even “Cruise Night” classic car shows. After 30 years, they decided to retire, and wanted to sell to a family instead of a corporate chain.

So far, the Wrights have tinkered with the menu only a bit. They added Hot Rod wings, and a smoky riff on fry sauce called “burnout” sauce.

With Layton High School just a block away, the Wrights installed a self-ordering kiosk so students can get through the lunch rush more quickly.

The Burger Stop was already expanding its reach this summer by running a concession during last summer’s Ogden Twilight Concert Series.

Now, look out, Salt Lake! Burger Stop is coming.

Location: 323 East Gentile St., Layton

Contact: 801-544-8090; https://www.burgerstoplayton.com