A popular Utah chain restaurant is coming to Logan

A fast-casual restaurant that grew from a single Park City location into a familiar name along the Wasatch Front is heading north.

Vessel Kitchen will open its first Cache Valley location in Logan at the end of January, marking the company’s 10th restaurant since its debut nearly a decade ago.

The restaurant, known for its scratch-made bowls, seasonal salads, tacos and hearty sides inspired by global flavors, will anchor part of the former Fire Station 70 at 76 E. 200 North.

The building was purchased in 2024 by Logan-based Västra Companies, which is remodeling the site into Old Station, a mixed-use space housing restaurants and offices.

Roe’e Levy, one of Vessel Kitchen’s three co-founders, said the opportunity arose when Västra reached out to gauge the company’s interest in moving into the site.

Logan had long been on Vessel’s radar, Levy said, and the former fire station’s central location “at the heart of the community” made the decision an easy one.

“I’m very excited about the community. It’s such a hidden gem,” Levy said. “Every other street looks like it could be straight out of a Hallmark movie. It’s a cute small town surrounded by a ton of farms and farmland, and I think to me, that’s a sign of a very healthy community … that will be accepting us with arms open.”

The owners are eyeing a grand opening on Jan. 22, Levy said.

Levy said the Logan location also marks a first step in Vessel Kitchen’s expansion beyond the Wasatch Front and Back. The company is eyeing a future location near Boise, he said, which would be its first outside the Beehive State.

Vessel Kitchen’s Utah footprint also includes its flagship restaurant in Park City, Farmington’s Station Park, Salt Lake City’s 9th & 9th, the Salt Lake City International Airport, Sandy, Midvale, American Fork and Orem.

The Logan location’s design pays homage to the building’s history, with some elements preserved from the former fire station, the company said in a news release. A large patio looks out at the new Station 70, which relocated just across the street.

The Logan restaurant will carry the same quick-serve offerings familiar to diners at other locations: bowls loaded with fresh vegetables, grains and proteins like braised beef, slow-roasted pork, shredded chicken, falafel and yellowfin tuna, as well as naan tacos and seasonal salads. Vegetarian and gluten-free options will also be available.

“We pride ourselves in that we want to make sure that you get the same experience no matter which Vessel you step into,” Levy said, adding that the company often sources ingredients locally. “We put a lot of emphasis into the ingredients that actually goes into our food and I think that’s one part of what makes us very unique and delicious.”

Starting Vessel Kitchen

The three co-owners, Levy, Nick Gradinger and Brian Reeder, opened the first Vessel Kitchen in 2016. The idea came from a desire to combine the quality, flavor and attention to ingredients of a sit-down restaurant with the speed and value more common in quick-serve dining.

It was a concept that had worked in other markets, Levy said, but had not yet been brought to Park City.

For Levy, who spent more than two decades in fine dining and grew up in Israel, the venture was personal. It allowed him to bring a Mediterranean influence to the menu while sharing flavors from kitchens around the world.

“I believe there’s a better way to feed people,” Levy said, “and from pace, speed, complexity of menu and price, and I think that the fast-casual arena was missing a very big key component of just good food.”

Defining the cuisine, Levy admits, is not simple. He calls it “new American” — a fusion of flavors inspired by kitchens from around the world. But the menu favors influence from Mediterranean food, he said.

“We always want to stay honest to the dish we’re trying to make,” he said. “We’re not going to try and reinvent the wheel and it goes the same for dishes that are close to my heart, like hummus or falafel. It’s always going to stick to the original.”

Since its first Park City location, Vessel Kitchen has grown rapidly, averaging about one new restaurant a year, Levy said.

The second location opened in Midvale in 2019, and the owners ambitiously launched two more locations just before and during the height of the pandemic.

The pandemic forced the business to shift from rapid growth to “survival mode overnight,” Reeder wrote in Utah Business.

Despite the challenges, the new locations proved successful, he wrote, and the 9th & 9th location opened as takeout-only spot, selling out within days.

“Before the pandemic hit, we had begun to doubt ourselves,” Reeder wrote. “Was our concept resonating with the wider Utah population, or had we created a one-trick pony that should have stayed in Park City? The 9th & 9th location receiving a warm outpour of support from the community provided the clarity we needed.”

Levy said as the business grows, the team hopes to bring the concept to smaller communities.

“It might not be the easiest way for us,” he said, “but it’s definitely the most rewarding.”