Annie’s Diner Closing For Good: What’s Next

Annie’s Diner, the Kaysville landmark once known as Granny Annie’s, is closing for good on June 1, or sooner, according to its owner, Jason Sanders. “This is heart wrenching for our family,” Sanders wrote in a Facebook post. “We have loved this place and our guests — that’s why we bought it! But we’ve been losing too much money for too long; and we can’t do it any more.”

Last year, the restaurant lost more than $93,000, according to an analysis done by the Salt Lake Tribune. Sanders gave reporter Andy Larsen complete access to all the books and finances to see where they money was going.

“We are staying open until June 1 so our employees have time to find another job, and so you can come in one more time,” Sanders wrote. “We hope we can keep it going till then, but there is a chance we may not be able to stay open that long if people leave early for other opportunities. So please be patient with us.”

I interviewed Sanders in 2021, a year after he rescued Granny Annie’s from closure, and re-named it Annie’s Diner. And I texted him last night, asking what will happen next.

“It is sold to a property developer. They will tear it down,” he replied. “Food and labor costs are our undoing.”

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 in Kaysville, 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.

Granny Annie’s was one of Jason Sander’s favorite go-to restaurants. So when the Kaysville attorney heard that Annie, nearing age 75, was going to close it down, 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.)

Sanders kept the big breakfasts, but added more lunch and dinner options.

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 and scones the size of a dinner plate.

But Sanders became owner just as the Covid pandemic caused restaurants to close for a few months, and then insitute “social distancing.” Skyrocketing food and labor costs, and employee turnover added to the challenges.

Everything at Annie’s — hash, gravies, soups, chicken-fried steak, hash browns, baked goods, you name it — is all made from scratch. Sanders tried to simplify the menu to make it easier for new cooks to master in the kitchen. He told me in 2022 that new employees would quit after just a few days, because the menu was so complex.

“There are only three reasons we would ever change the menu,” Sanders said. “If something becomes too costly or we can’t get it in, or if an item isn’t ordered enough by customers, or for efficiency.”

But, all of Sanders’ efforts apparently weren’t enough to save Annie’s.

So those who want one last order of biscuits & gravy, or a Utah scone from Annie’s, you’ve only got a few more days to go in and pay your respects.