A restaurant near the University of Utah has closed, and a liquor license may be opening up. The Market Street Broiler shut its doors Monday, though it had only recently opened an oyster bar upstairs with a newly granted club license.
The Oyster Bar was one of very few clubs with a licensed full bar near the university. The restaurant and bar are owned by Gastronomy Incorporated, which also has restaurants in Salt Lake City, Cottonwood Heights, South Jordan, and the Salt Lake City Airport. Owner Tom Guinney and business partner John Williams said in a statement that they made the decision to reallocate resources and close the eatery near the U after evaluating its performance.
It’s up to the state liquor commission to decide what will happen to the Oyster Bar’s liquor license, which Gastronomy just acquired in February. Spokesperson for the Utah Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control Vickie Ashby told KUER she can’t comment until she hears from the company. If a bar or restaurant were to take over the space, the commission could give the license to the new owners, or they could award it to an applicant on the wait list. At the most recent commission meeting, there were 12 waiting in line for a club license.
