Fazoli’s Utah: The Saratoga Springs Store, Opening Status and the Five Store Plan
Last updated: November 3, 2026
Utah has been waiting a long time for this. Fazoli’s left the state in 2016, and ever since the return was announced in October 2024, readers have asked us the same question: is fazoli’s utah open yet? The honest answer is no, not yet, but the wait is finally visible. The first new restaurant, in Saratoga Springs, is under construction right now, with walls going up at Steele Ridge Plaza. What it does not have is an opening date, and any page that gives you one is guessing. This article tracks what is actually confirmed: the address, the construction status from the city’s own project report, the five store plan, why the original 2025 target slipped, and what the chain’s new owner could mean for the timeline. If you have been checking a store locator every few weeks, this page is built to save you the guesswork. We will update this page as soon as an official opening date is announced.
Key Takeaways
- Fazoli’s is not open in Utah yet. The first store is under construction, not serving guests.
- The address is confirmed: 239 E Crossroads Blvd, Steele Ridge Plaza, 3,240 square feet.
- The city’s project report dated October 23, 2026 lists the store as Under Construction.
- No official opening date has been announced. The original 2025 expectation has slipped.
- Five stores are planned in total, about one a year, across Salt Lake and Utah counties.
- The deal was signed in 2024 under the old owner. No timeline change has been announced since.
Not open yet. The Saratoga Springs store is under construction, and no opening date has been announced.
Quick Answer: Is Fazoli’s Open in Utah?
No. Fazoli’s is not open in Utah yet. The first new store, at 239 E Crossroads Blvd in Saratoga Springs, is under construction as of the city’s project report dated October 23, 2026. No official opening date has been announced, and the chain’s store locator still lists zero Utah restaurants.
That makes this page a tracker, not a listing. Below you will find what is confirmed today: the exact site and size, the developer behind the project and the pace of the wider five store plan. You will also find what is not confirmed, clearly labelled, because most pages still repeat the 2025 opening promise from the original press release. When Fazoli’s or the city publishes a real opening date, this page will carry it. Bookmark this page if you are local. A store can move from construction to hiring to opening in a single season, and the status here will change with it.
Source: City of Saratoga Springs RAP Sheet, October 23, 2026, and the October 2024 development announcement.
The Saratoga Springs Store: Address and Construction Status
The first new Fazoli’s in Utah has a real address, and it is more than a line in a press release. The restaurant is being built at 239 E Crossroads Blvd, inside Steele Ridge Plaza in Saratoga Springs. The unit measures 3,240 square feet, a typical footprint for one of the chain’s newer restaurants. Saratoga Springs sits in fast growing northwest Utah County, south of Salt Lake City, surrounded by young families, new housing.
What the city project report shows
The strongest evidence comes from the city itself. Saratoga Springs publishes a RAP Sheet, short for Report on Active Projects, and the edition dated October 23, 2026 lists the Fazoli’s at Steele Ridge Plaza as Under Construction. A local realtor roundup working from the city’s May 2026 report tracked the project through approval. Location data agrees. ScrapeHero still counted zero Fazoli’s restaurants in Utah in April 2026, which fits a store being built, not one quietly open.
What has not been announced yet
Plenty is still missing. There is no official opening date, no store page on the Fazoli’s website and no listing in the chain’s store locator. Until one of those appears, treat any specific date on a fan page or a map listing as a guess. Openings slip for ordinary reasons, from inspections to equipment delivery.
Expert tip: judge progress by the details, not the shell. Hiring posters in the window and a new store locator listing are the signs an opening is close.
Deal announced. Five Utah stores promised, Saratoga Springs named first, 2025 given as the target.
Target year passes. No opening, and no updated date from the chain or the developer.
City report. The Saratoga Springs RAP Sheet tracks the project through approval at Steele Ridge Plaza.
Under Construction. The October 23, 2026 RAP Sheet lists the Fazoli’s unit as Under Construction.
Opening date. Not announced yet. This page updates when it is.
Source: City of Saratoga Springs RAP Sheet editions and the October 9, 2024 GlobeNewswire announcement.
The Five Store Utah Plan
Saratoga Springs is store one of five. On October 9, 2024, FAT Brands announced a development agreement with Valor Acquisitions Group, LLC to build five Fazoli’s locations in Utah over five years. The developer behind the plan is Rudy Chavez of Valor Acquisitions Group, who also runs Smashburger restaurants as a franchisee. Per Franchise Times, the pace is roughly one Utah location a year, which puts the full rollout around the end of the decade if the schedule holds.
What is known about stores two to five fits in one line: they are planned for Salt Lake and Utah counties. No addresses, no cities and no dates have been published for any of them. That is normal at this stage of a franchise rollout, because developers usually confirm a site only after the lease is signed. It also means any list of future Utah locations beyond Saratoga Springs is speculation today. The honest picture is one store under construction, four more promised, and a developer with a five year window to deliver them.
Expert tip: if you live in Salt Lake County, do not hold your breath for a 2026 opening near you. At one store a year, later stores are a 2027 story at the earliest, and the chain has announced nothing firmer.
| Store | Where | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Store 1 | Saratoga Springs, 239 E Crossroads Blvd | Under construction, October 2026 |
| Stores 2 to 5 | Salt Lake and Utah counties | Announced, no sites published |
| Pace | Utah statewide | About one store a year |
Source: October 2024 development announcement and Franchise Times coverage, checked November 2026.
Why the 2025 Opening Date Slipped
The original announcement pointed to 2025. The first Utah store was expected to open in Saratoga Springs that year, and most pages written about the deal still repeat that timing as if it were current. It is not. By October 2026 the restaurant was still listed as under construction, which means the 2025 target quietly passed with no opening and no public explanation that we could find.
Two pieces of context sit behind the delay, and both need care. The first is ordinary: restaurant construction runs on permits, contractors and equipment, and a ground up build in a new plaza rarely lands on its first announced year. The second is bigger. While the store was being planned and built, the chain’s parent company went through a bankruptcy and a sale, covered in the ownership section below. Nobody has said that the ownership change caused the Utah delay, and this page will not claim it did. It is context for the timeline, not a proven cause. That gap between the promise and the pavement is exactly why this page leans on city records instead of press releases.
💡 Expert Tip: Read the City Report, Not the Headline
A franchise press release gives a target year, not a promise. For real progress, check two sources: the Saratoga Springs RAP Sheet for the construction status, and the Fazoli’s store locator for the first official listing.
Fazoli’s First Utah Run and the 2016 Exit
Utah is not new territory for Fazoli’s. The chain first arrived in the late 1990s and built a loyal following, the kind of fan base that keeps asking for a comeback years after the signs come down. That first run ended in 2016, when Fazoli’s left the state. Coverage of the 2024 return pointed to that loyal following as a reason Utah made the expansion list, and Franchise Times framed the deal as a comeback after nearly a ten year absence.
That history explains the search traffic behind this article. Thousands of Utah readers are not discovering Fazoli’s for the first time. They are checking on a restaurant they already miss, which is why a missed 2025 target stings more here than a normal delay. It also raises the stakes for store one: Saratoga Springs is not just a new market test, it is a homecoming that the local audience will judge against memory.
Expert tip: returning chains usually hire local managers ahead of opening week. Job postings for Saratoga Springs are another early signal worth watching alongside the city report.
Late 1990s: Fazoli’s arrives in Utah and builds a following. 2016: the chain leaves. 2024: the return is announced.
What the New Owner Means for the Utah Timeline
The Utah deal was signed by a company that no longer owns the chain. FAT Brands agreed the five store plan in October 2024, then filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2026. Its restaurant assets were bought by FBG Bid Co. in June 2026, and on September 30, 2026 the parent rebranded as OHG Brands. Fazoli’s now sits inside that new company, alongside the other chains from the old portfolio. Other brands from the same portfolio were sold off or closed during the same period.
Here is the honest part: nobody has announced what this means for Utah. There has been no statement cancelling the five store plan, and no statement confirming the original pace either. Expansion clearly continues elsewhere under the new owner, including new stores in Canada, which our Fazoli’s Canada locations and opening story tracks in full. Until OHG Brands or Valor Acquisitions Group speaks about Utah directly, the fair reading is that construction in Saratoga Springs is the only hard evidence, and it points to a project still moving.
Expert tip: watch for two signals that the plan is alive under the new owner: fresh city filings for a second Utah site, and the Saratoga Springs store appearing in the chain’s store locator.
Source: company announcements and trade coverage of the 2026 ownership change, checked November 2026.
What to Eat First When It Opens
Whenever opening day lands, Utah readers will meet the full core menu, not a limited starter card. The dishes that built the chain’s name are the baked pastas: baked lasagna, baked spaghetti and the baked sampler plates. Every pasta order brings the garlic breadsticks the chain is famous for, and our Fazoli’s garlic breadsticks guide and copycat recipe explains how they are made and how to copy them at home during the wait.
The newest addition is the wing menu. Chicken wings joined the menu at company owned stores in October 2026, with franchise stores following through spring 2027, in bone in and boneless styles with seven sauces. Our Fazoli’s chicken wings flavors, prices and calories page tracks the counts, sauces and prices. A store opening in 2027 should carry them from early on, though the opening week menu is always the store’s own to confirm.
Expert tip: make the first order a classic. Baked lasagna or baked spaghetti is what the kitchen cooks all day, and it is the fairest test of a brand new store.
First order picks for opening week
Baked Lasagna. The signature bake, layered pasta with meat sauce and a browned cheese top.
Baked Spaghetti. Spaghetti under a blanket of melted cheese, the other half of the classic pair.
Signature Garlic Breadsticks. Warm, buttery and served with pasta orders, the item Utah fans remember most.
Chicken Wings. The 2026 menu addition, bone in or boneless, with seven sauces from mild to hot.
Source: Fazoli’s core menu and the October 2026 wings rollout, checked November 2026.
Mistakes to Avoid
The most common mistake is trusting the 2024 headlines. The press release coverage from October 2024 says the first store was expected in 2025, and those pages still rank at the top of search results today. They were accurate when written, but they describe a plan, not the current status. The city report from October 2026 is the fresher source, and it says under construction.
Second, do not drive to Steele Ridge Plaza expecting lunch. An under construction listing means fencing, work crews and no dining room, and showing up hungry helps nobody. Third, treat any exact opening date on a fan page, a forum or a map pin as a guess unless Fazoli’s or the city published it. Fourth, do not assume all five stores have sites. Only Saratoga Springs has an address. Stores two to five exist as a county level plan, nothing more, and any page that lists their addresses today is making them up. Fifth, do not read openings in other states or in Canada as a Utah date. Each market runs on its own developer and its own construction clock.
Expert tip: set a calendar reminder to check the chain’s store locator once a month. New stores appear there ahead of opening day, and it is the fastest official signal that Utah has gone from zero to one.
Under construction is not open. When the store locator lists Saratoga Springs, the wait is over.
FAQ
Is Fazoli’s open in Utah yet?
No. As of November 2026, Fazoli’s has no open restaurant in Utah. The first new store, in Saratoga Springs, is listed as under construction in the city’s project report dated October 23, 2026. Location data still counts zero Utah stores, and no official opening date has been announced.
Where is the Fazoli’s in Saratoga Springs?
The Saratoga Springs Fazoli’s is being built at 239 E Crossroads Blvd, inside Steele Ridge Plaza. The unit is 3,240 square feet, per the City of Saratoga Springs project report. It will be the first Fazoli’s in Utah since the chain left the state in 2016, once construction finishes and an opening date is set.
When will Fazoli’s open in Saratoga Springs?
Nobody knows yet, and that is the honest answer. No official opening date has been announced by Fazoli’s, the developer or the city. The store was still under construction in late October 2026. The original announcement expected a 2025 opening, which has passed, so any specific date circulating today is a guess, not a schedule.
How many Fazoli’s locations are planned for Utah?
Five. A development agreement announced on October 9, 2024 covers five Fazoli’s locations across Utah over five years. The first is the Saratoga Springs store now under construction. The other four are planned for Salt Lake and Utah counties, at roughly one new location a year, but no sites or dates have been published for them.
Who is opening the Utah Fazoli’s restaurants?
Valor Acquisitions Group, LLC, led by Rudy Chavez, holds the Utah development agreement. Chavez also operates Smashburger restaurants as a franchisee. His group signed the five store deal with the chain’s former parent in October 2024 and is responsible for building and opening the Utah locations, starting with Saratoga Springs.
Was there a Fazoli’s in Utah before?
Yes. Fazoli’s first arrived in Utah in the late 1990s and ran restaurants in the state for years, building a loyal following that locals still talk about. That first run ended in 2016, when the chain left Utah. The 2024 development deal is a return, not a first entry, which explains the strong local reaction.
Why did Fazoli’s leave Utah in 2016?
No detailed official explanation was published at the time, and this page will not invent one. What is documented is the result: the chain left Utah in 2016 and spent the following years focused on its Midwest and South strongholds. Trade coverage of the 2024 return framed Utah as a market with a loyal following worth winning back.
Will the ownership change delay the Utah opening?
That is unknown. The chain’s parent filed for bankruptcy in January 2026 and was sold, with OHG Brands becoming the new owner in 2026. No statement has linked the ownership change to the Utah timeline, and no statement has cancelled or confirmed the five store plan. Construction in Saratoga Springs remains the only hard evidence either way.
What other Utah cities will get a Fazoli’s?
No cities have been named beyond Saratoga Springs. The four remaining stores in the five store plan are earmarked for Salt Lake and Utah counties, per the original announcement, but no specific cities, addresses or dates have been published. Any list naming future Utah locations today is speculation until the developer or the chain confirms a site.
How can I find out the moment it opens?
Watch three official signals. First, the Fazoli’s store locator, where new restaurants appear before opening day. Second, the City of Saratoga Springs RAP Sheet, which will move the project past under construction. Third, announcements from the chain or Valor Acquisitions Group. This page will also be updated when a date is confirmed.
💡 Expert Tip: The Fastest Update Check
Search for the Saratoga Springs RAP Sheet once a month. The city updates the report on a regular cycle, and the Fazoli’s line will change status there before any fan page notices.
Conclusion
So the Fazoli’s Utah story today is a building, not a restaurant. Saratoga Springs has the address, the city report shows real construction, and the five store plan still stands on paper. What is missing is the only thing most readers came for, an opening date, and we would rather say that plainly than invent one. When the chain confirms a date, this page will be updated with it. Until then, browse the menu pages, plan your first order, and keep an eye on Steele Ridge Plaza. Bring a little patience to opening week as well, because returning favorites draw a crowd.
Not open yet. Under construction at 239 E Crossroads Blvd, Saratoga Springs. This page updates when an opening date is announced.
References
- City of Saratoga Springs, RAP Sheet Report on Active Projects, October 23, 2026. https://www.saratogasprings-ut.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9855/The-RAP-Sheet—Report-on-Active-Projects
- GlobeNewswire via Nasdaq, five unit Utah development deal, October 9, 2024. https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/fazolis-break-breadsticks-utah-five-unit-development-deal-2024-10-09
- Franchise Times, Fazoli’s returns to Utah markets with new multi unit deal. https://www.franchisetimes.com/franchise_news/fazoli-s-returns-to-utah-markets-with-new-multi-unit-deal/article_8d41a0c0-b416-11ef-ab06-8b13e9971f56.html
- Ashby Realtor, new businesses opening in Saratoga Springs 2026 list. https://www.ashbyrealtor.com/blog/saratoga-springs/saratoga-springs-is-growing-up-every-new-business-coming-to-our-city-in-2026
- ScrapeHero, Fazoli’s US location data report, April 2026. https://www.scrapehero.com/location-reports/Fazolis-USA/
Note on sources: the address and the construction status come from the City of Saratoga Springs project report dated October 23, 2026, and the deal terms come from the October 2024 announcement. Where a fact has not been announced, such as the opening date or any effect of the ownership change on the Utah timeline, this article says so plainly rather than estimating it.
