Idle Isle Cafe Is Re-Opening in Brigham City
The Idle Isle is back in business! The Brigham City landmark was one of Utah’s oldest continuously operating restaurants until it closed suddenly in May of 2025 amid conflict and controversy. The sad tale is too long to tell within this story; click here for the full version.)
But now, new owners are breathing new life into the 105-year-old restaurant, located at 24 S. Main. A grand opening takes place Friday, July 17, with ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Check the cafe’s Facebook page for updated info.
The owners —Danielle Rawls, and her parents Julie and Mike Ross — are hosting a “soft opening” this week. It’s a dress rehearsal for staffers to practice their cooking and serving skills before opening day. Customers order from a limited menu — $10 for lunch and $15 for dinner — and leave an evaluation. I jumped at the chance to see what the new owners have done with the place, along with one of my new foodie friends, Lori T. Roberts.
Owner Danielle Rawls and front-of-house manager Dallion Kotter stand at the marble counter installed in 1921 when the Idle Isle first opened, with Coke machines from the 1940s in the background.
The Rosses and Rawls decided to buy the restaurant soon after owners Corinna and Jonathan Harris closed it suddenly last year.
“I always loved the Idle Isle,” said Danielle Rawls. “All the drama made me so sad.”
“My husband likes to remodel everything,” said Julie Ross. “We wanted to bring back the Idle Isle and beautify it.”
The new owners have embraced the historic charm, while cleaning away the musty, dusty, tired feeling that seemed to plague the restaurant during the last several years of business. The marble counter, mirror, and hand-crafted booths date back to the Idle Isle’s opening in 1921. Two Coke dispensers are from the 1940s. Rawls pointed out the grandfather clock, its wood carved from a covered wagon bed that traveled across the plains.
The old carpet was removed to expose and restore the building’s original hardwood floor from 1896. Peeling wallpaper was scraped away.
Old signs, an original door, old coffee-maker, historic photos and other Idle Isle artifacts are displayed in the dining rooms where customers can enjoy them.
Even the bathrooms have been renovated with old-fashioned basins and antique furniture.
About its history: Verable and Percy Knudson set up shop on the south side of the Armeda Block building in 1921. Percy had worked at The Bluebird in Logan for two years to learn the ice cream and candy business, according to Verabel’s history. In a contest to name the new business, Mrs. Walderman Call won a $10 prize for suggesting “Idle Isle.” Some say it may have been intended as “Idle Aisle,” but the “Isle” name stuck. The Idle Isle started out selling candies along with ice cream and food, but the restaurant and candy enterprises split into separate companies in 1994. (Idle Isle Candies has its own store across the street.)F
For more about the Idle Isle’s history — owners over the years, movie star visits, World War II, the Bushnell Military Hospital, and so on, click here.
About the menu: Most of the restaurant’s favorites remain.. Beef pot roast — also used in the French dip sandwich and hot beef sandwich — was the top favorite back in 2021 when the Idle Isle celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Other comfort classics included in the soft-opening limited menu were chicken strips, grilled chicken breast, fish and chips, burgers, club sandwiches, beef-stuffed rolls, chicken sandwich, turkey steak, chicken fried steak, and grilled hamburger steak.
Fans of the liver and onions can count on the traditional Monday special.
“A lot of the specials are the same,” said Dallion Kotter, the front-of-the-house manager. “But the trout and ribeye steak have both been moved from a weekly special to a spot on the regular menu.”
We ordered the club sandwich and fish and chips, both served with French fries. The light crispy coating on the fries gives them the perfect crisp on the outside while soft and tender on the inside.
Kotter said the rolls and apricot jam need a bit of a grace period, Kotter told us. This year, the late frost killed the region’s fresh apricots, so the kitchen used a recipe from past owners Travis and Janna Porter. When they ran out of fresh apricot jam, they improvised with this canned apricot recipe until they could get fresh apricots, Kotter said.
There’s also a salad bar starring crisp iceberg lettuce and a variety of toppings. Lori, who lives in Brigham City, remembers when the Idle Isle once had a popular salad bar. But vandals damaged it, and it wasn’t replaced. With the new owners, the concept has been revived, with an adjoining baked potato bar.
Desserts include carrot cake, apple pie, coconut cream and banana cream pies, New York cheesecake, banana split, shakes, custard, and the signature Idle Berry pie. It’s a combination of blueberries and Marionberries (a type of blackberry). There’s also a cream pie topped with Idle Berry filling.
Older restaurants are challenged to keep their old-fashioned menu for long-time customers, while attracting new or younger customers.
“We kept almost all the original recipes, but as we grow, we will start adding specials,” Rawls said. “We are going to have an all-day brunch on Sundays, with a new menu, and I think that will bring in new people.”
The Idle Isle has had several different exteriors over the years. Here’s a look at a few of them.
This facade was removed around 2021 by then-owner Travis Porter, to renovate it to look more like it did originally, below.
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