Cheddar’s Serves Hearty Comfort Classics in Its First Utah Location

Utah’s first Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen opened last summer in Riverdale. Although it’s new to Utah, the chain was founded in Irving, Texas, and now boasts 181 locations. Over 50 of them are in Texas. It’s part of the Darnden group of restaurants that includes Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, among others. 

Utahns tend to give national chains a big rush when they first open here. (Jack In the Box, Raising Cane’s Fried Chicken Fingers, and In-n-Out Burger are recent ones that come to mind.) My guess is that while Utahns are visiting other parts of the country, they get acquainted with out-of-state restaurants. So when one of them finally comes to Utah, it’s like welcoming a friend. And other people hear about the long lines, and want to see what the buzz is all about.

That’s what happened with Cheddar’s when it opened last July. On social media, people posted about long waits, and some of the popular items like ribs being sold out for the night.

So I waited several weeks before doing a Standard-Examiner article, until the buzz died down. During my interview, I asked service manager Tim Evans about the opening days and items being sold out. He side-stepped the question diplomatically.

“I discovered that the Utah community is excited whenever a new food place comes about, and we had a chance to dive into that,” said Tim Evans, service manager for the Riverdale Cheddar’s. “It was busy from the first jump. It was many people’s first time trying Cheddar’s, so delivering that experience has been quite satisfying for us.”

Until 2015, it was known as Cheddar’s Casual Café. Then, the name was changed to Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen to showcase its tradition of cooking and baking in-house. Considering the large menu, there’s a lot of cooking going on in the kitchen. Hearty, home-y, comfort food seems to be the mainstay, with most entrees between $13-$20. The most expensive entree, a bone-in ribeye steak, is $22.99.

Here are some of the signature dishes you’ll find:

Once guests are seated, they get a warm, fresh honey butter croissant. These are crispy on the outside, tender inside, with a sweet drizzle of honey butter. Unlike Olive Garden that touts unlimited free breadsticks, the first round of croissants is free; after that, they are 99 cents each.

Chicken pot pie — with its creamy sauce, chicken, veggies and flaky crust — is one of the most popular items, especially here in Utah ($11.99).

“It’s nice, filling comfort food,” Evans said. “It’s one of our most popular items.”

Another signature dish is the Monte Cristo sandwich ($12.29). Layers of turkey, ham and two cheeses are battered and deep-fried, dusted with powdered sugar and sliced in half so you can see the layers. It’s served with the traditional raspberry preserves for dipping.

How does the Cheddar’s’ Monte Cristo compare with the iconic Disneyland version? “I’ve never been to Disneyland, but I stand by our Monte Cristo — it’s one of our most popular dishes here and people keep requesting it,” Evans said.

Slow-smoked barbecue ribs are another favorite. They are often ordered as a combo platter of a half-rack of ribs and chicken tenders, with a choice of two sides, for $19.99.

Here’s the salmon entree that I ordered on my second visit to Cheddar’s. The salmon was nicely grilled on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. It was the smaller, five-ounce size — and that was plenty for my appetite. I liked the cole slaw — not too creamy, not too tangy; just right. The Southern green beans were OK; they have a lot of bacon-y flavor.

If you’re going for a lighter meal, there are some salad options. The grilled chicken pecan salad has a hefty portion of romaine salad mix, with shredded carrots, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and sweet glazed pecans ($12.99).

The broccoli casserole is one of the most-ordered sides — tender-crisp broccoli florets and rice, smothered in creamy cheese sauce.

Cheddar’s motto is, “You get a lot for not a lot.”

  “We are a scratch-made restaurant, and we offer great food at great prices with a great atmosphere,” Evans said.

  Location: 4171 Riverdale Road

  Contact: 385-405-7470 or Cheddars.com

  Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m..-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

  Prices: Most entrees $12-$20