Sydney’s Closing For Good This Weekend

After so many ups and downs in Mantua, it seemed that Sydney’s Place found a great home when it moved to Preston, Idaho In February 2024.. In fact, owner Denise Hardy told me that within a few weeks of her Preston opening on 101 N. State, the restaurant was doing more business than it had on its best days in Mantua.

But apparently it wasn’t enough. Hardy posted on Facebook that Sydney’s will close for good Saturday, Nov. 15 at 9 p.m.

“It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing that this is the last week that Sydney’s Place will be open for business.

Unfortunately, business is not consistent enough for me to make a living. I have a special needs son that I need to take care of for the rest of his life, and I am just not cutting it. I am not getting any younger and while I still can, I need to do a better job of contributing to my family,” she wrote.

“Please come in this week, have a burger, and say goodbye.”

It’s a sad ending to a place I’ve been watching since 2021, when I did a Standard-Examiner story on Sydney’s. The Mantua restaurant was quickly gaining a reputation for its Old West atmosphere and its “comfort food on steroids.” Co-owner Denise Hardy named her restaurant Sydney’s, after her late mother. It’s also Hardy’s first name (Sydney Denise). And Denise’s daughter is named Sydney as well.

On a trip to Mantua, it was fun interviewing owner Denise Hardy and then-chef Ted Mathesius, who had also been chef of two former Logan landmarks — the Copper Mill and Hamilton’s. (Ted is now an award-winning territory sales manager for US Foods).

In Mantua, summers attracted quite a crowd from folks driving through Sardine Canyon or camping at the next-door campground. But winters offered less traffic, and Hardy was forced to cut the hours.

So when she had the chance to move across the Idaho border into Preston, she jumped. Preston’s small town atmosphere made it a great setting for the “Napoleon Dynamite” movie. But it seemed big enough to support a few local restaurants.

But the current economy seems to be brutal for the restaurant industry, this year taking out long-time northern Utah landmarks such as Windy’s Sukiyaki in Ogden (over 50 years in business), and the Idle Isle in Brigham City (over 100 years in business), among others. Even big-time mega-chains like Denny’s and Wendy’s are closing locations.

I’m sorry that Sydney’s wasn’t able to weather the storm. And I wish Denise Hardy good luck in whatever she ends up doing in the future.