Celebrating the Best of Holladay, local business owners, the Holladay Business Advisory Board, and Holladay City officials gathered in the Big Cottonwood Room at City Hall to present the Community Choice Awards in recognition of outstanding local businesses in the community and to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Holladay City. 

The Holladay Advisory Board, established as a forum for local businesses and community partners to improve communication and collaboration, held its annual Best of Holladay Community Choice Awards luncheon Dec. 6. Meier’s Catering provided a sweet and savory main course buffet, followed by a dessert selection of ice cream and baked goods.

The voting process for the Community Choice Award was set up through Survey Monkey, allowing the community and businesses to share and vote for their favorite businesses. Voting was limited to one vote per device. The business with the most votes in a selected category out of 10 won the award.

“We were so pleased the community embraced the Best of Holladay and voted for their favorites,” Executive Director of the Holladay Advisory Board Ann Frances Garcia said. “We were pleased with the almost 400 nominations for their favorites. This award program provides a spotlight to many of our businesses that make our city unique.”

Raylynn Potts, the Holladay Advisory Board chair, welcomed guests to the event. She recognized members of the Holladay business community and city council members Paul Fotheringham, Matt Durham and Drew Quinn, who were in attendance. Additionally, she acknowledged and thanked Ann Frances Garcia, the Holladay Economic Development and Housing manager, currently serving as the Executive Director of the Holladay Advisory Board and the primary organizer of the event, along with the Business Advisory Board members. 

Mayor Rob Dahle attended the event via video recording and congratulated the 10 awardees who had been identified as the best in their individual categories. He also gave a special thanks to the 25 oldest businesses in Holladay.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Chamber of Commerce that has recently transitioned into the Business Advisory Board and to recognize the newly elected chair, Raylynn Potts, who is taking over for Jason Woodland,” Dahle said. “Thank you to Jason for all your hard work, and congratulations to Raylynn. Thanks to Ann Frances Garcia for coordinating the transition between the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Advisory Board. Small business is what Holladay is all about. We want to recognize and thank these individual business owners for their many years of dedicated service and their contributions to the community.”

Snider Brothers Meats has been in business for 33 years. When the business first opened its doors, the Wilson family was commuting from Ogden to Salt Lake and working long hours every day. Their hard work paid off. 

“We definitely pride ourselves on our quality of meat and customer service,” manager Rachel Wilson said. “We are a full-service meat butcher market. We bring in fresh meat daily from the same suppliers and everything we bring in is something we would take home ourselves. We’re consistently looking for higher quality items to provide for our customers in Salt Lake City and throughout Utah.”

The Wilson family are now Holladay residents and are thankful to the community for the overwhelming support that has been shown to them.   

“We have been delighted how the Holladay community has supported us and promoted us,” owner Amy Wilson said. “Word of mouth is what launched us. We couldn’t afford advertising when we first started out, and if it wasn’t for word of mouth we wouldn’t be where we are today. We tend to think we are as fresh as we can be. We are locally sourced and the cattle are carefully groomed with potatoes rather than corn which is easier for the cattle to digest and it gives a better marbling to our meat. I think this is why people can taste the big difference. Our meat is considered all natural, antibiotic free and hormone free.”

Acknowledging the 25th anniversary of the incorporation of Holladay, 25 of the top businesses were recognized for 25 years or more of doing business in Holladay. Eleven business owners were in attendance at the event and recognized for their many years of service to the community.  

Burton Lumber was the oldest Holladay business to be acknowledged during the luncheon. The lumber company opened its doors in the Holladay community January 1969. Although they have been a local business since 1969, they have been helping to build Utah for over 100 years. 

Challenger Schools first opened as a preschool in 1963. The Holladay campus opened in 1987.

Holladay Bank & Trust was founded Feb. 20, 1974 

Village Dental, Dr. Michael Rasch provided excellent dental care since 1977

Paramount Acceptance opened October 1981 

Perry’s Office Supply opened May 1, 1975 

Taylor Optical opened Jan. 1, 1969 

Utah Dental Lab opened Jan. 15, 1975 

Village Cleaners opened Jan. 19, 1970  

Zions Bank opened July 9, 1975

Meier’s Catering opened Dec. 5, 1969 

“We had 105 attendees at the luncheon celebration,” Garcia said. “Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. We’ve received feedback from many of the oldest businesses that basically said, ‘Thank you for a lovely event! We get stuck in our own little world sometimes that we forget we need to get out more often and meet others and be a part of this wonderful community.”’

For businesses interested in networking, the Business Advisory Board meets the third Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. To be added to the board's email list, contact Ann Frances Garcia at 385-425-0853 or email her at [email protected]. λ

The Best of Holladay Community Choice Awards 2024:

•The Best Breakfast Spot - Sharon’s Café 

•The Best Lunch Spot - Real Taqueria 

•The Best Dinner Spot, a three-way tie: Café Madrid, Kimi’s Chopped and Oyster House, Layla’s Mediterranean Grill 

•The Best Nonprofit - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah

•The Best Place for Date Night - Mint, Tapas and Sushi. 

•The Best Hidden Gem in Holladay - Snider Brothers - Snider Family Meats 

•The Best Place to Hold an Event - Holladay City Hall and Parks

•The Best Place for Kids Education and Entertainment - Holladay Library  

•Best Retail - Amy’s Boutique 

•Best Happy Hour – Bandits’ Grill & Bar