Zest Kitchen & Bar

What Zest Kitchen & Bar does

Zest Kitchen & Bar is a single-location independent restaurant operating at 275 S 200 W in the Ballpark district of Salt Lake City, Utah, founded in 2012. The business is built around a 100% plant-based and always gluten-free menu that draws from Indian, Thai, Mediterranean, Italian, and American comfort cuisines. Core preparations are produced in-house, including vegan cheese sauces, sunflower seed pesto, jackfruit-based proteins, JustEgg mung-bean egg alternatives, cashew-based desserts, and gluten-free pizza crusts and breads. The menu spans brunch, lunch, dinner, and a full bar program featuring craft cocktails, organic wines, and fresh juices.

The company serves four primary customer segments: health-conscious diners seeking organic and plant-based options, event planners and groups needing vegan catering, takeout and delivery customers, and diners with dietary restrictions (notably Celiac disease) who require a fully gluten-free environment. Reviews indicate the gluten-free positioning is a primary draw for guests with allergies, and the restaurant's flavor-forward execution appeals to non-vegan diners as well.

Revenue is generated through dine-in service, online ordering for pickup and delivery (powered by the Chowly platform), vegan catering for events and private dining, and digital gift card sales. The company operates with 1-10 employees and has not raised external funding, expanded beyond a single unit, or disclosed financial results. Distribution is concentrated in the Greater Salt Lake City Area, with no international footprint and no active multi-unit franchising or licensing signals in the input data.

Name

Zest Kitchen & Bar

Legal name

Zest Kitchen & Bar

Website

https://zestslc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zest Kitchen & Bar is a single-location, 100% plant-based and gluten-free restaurant in Salt Lake City serving health-conscious diners, event planners, and customers with dietary restrictions through dine-in, pickup, delivery, and catering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plant-Based Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant-Based & Vegan Fast Casual (THAFABAK)

Keywords

• Plant-based restaurant
• Vegan cuisine
• Gluten-free dining
• Organic casual dining
• Event catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from customers dining in the restaurant, including full bar service with craft cocktails, organic wines, and fresh juices. Serves brunch, lunch, and dinner.
2. Takeout and Delivery: Revenue from online ordering for pickup and delivery orders. Customers can order through the website for convenient takeout or delivery service.
3. Catering Services: Vegan catering services for events, private dining, and group gatherings. Brings plant-based flavors to off-site locations.
4. Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards available online for in-store dining, providing additional revenue stream and customer acquisition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zest Kitchen & Bar operates a single-location, plant-based restaurant in Salt Lake City that serves organic, 100% vegan, and always gluten-free dishes for brunch, lunch, and dinner. The business provides dine-in service, online ordering for takeout and delivery, a full bar with craft cocktails and organic wines, and plant-based catering and private event hosting. The menu draws on globally-inspired flavors (Indian, Mediterranean, Thai, comfort food) and features house-made vegan cheeses, pestos, egg alternatives, and desserts.

Product overview

Zest Kitchen & Bar is a plant-based restaurant in Salt Lake City offering a unified dining platform centered on organic vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free cuisine. The restaurant provides an integrated experience combining dine-in service, online ordering for takeout and delivery, craft cocktails, and event catering. The menu features globally-inspired dishes organized into categories including Brunch & Lunch items (such as Philly CheeseTofu, Breakfast Pizza, Grilled Cheese Sandwich), Dinner Entrees (such as Pulled Jackfruit Burger, Mushroom Risotto, Buffalo Ranch Pizza, Mediterranean Pizza), and Desserts (such as Chocolate Beet Torte, Salted Caramel Chocolate Hazelnut Torte, Carrot Cake). The establishment also offers private event hosting and vegan catering services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dine-In Restaurant Service
• Online Ordering - Pickup and Delivery
• Vegan Catering and Private Events
• Full Bar and Craft Cocktails
• Gift Cards
• Plant-Based Menu (Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Desserts)

Quantifiable outcome

• Fully gluten-free dining environment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ChowlycoreTechnology or IntegrationChowly provides the online ordering platform, delivery integration, and restaurant technology infrastructure for Zest Kitchen & Bar. The website and online ordering system are powered by Chowly, enabling pickup, delivery, and customer account management features including rewards, favorites, and order history.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• By Chloe: Vegan fast-casual concept with globally-inspired plant-based menu and catering. Comparable as a direct vegan peer, although smaller scale and limited footprint; illustrates both the opportunity and the volatility of vegan-restaurant concepts.

Direct peers

• Modern Love: Chef-owned vegan comfort-food restaurants emphasizing bold flavors and house-made ingredients. Directly comparable as an independent chef-driven vegan concept turning plant-based cuisine into satisfying comfort food.
• Native Foods Cafe: U.S. vegan restaurant chain fully plant-based with global flavors. Most comparable as a directly aligned vegan-casual-dining concept serving similar health-conscious and omnivore-curious diners.
• Flower Child: Health-focused restaurant chain built on organic, vegan-friendly, and gluten-free options. Directly comparable as a casual-dining concept where healthy, plant-forward, and gluten-free are core to the brand promise.
• Cafe Gratitude: Plant-based restaurant concept with globally-inspired menu, craft drinks, and dine-in plus catering. Directly comparable as a vegan, organic, often raw-friendly full-service dining concept appealing to both vegan and non-vegan diners.
• Loving Hut: International vegan restaurant chain offering Asian- and globally-inspired plant-based menus. Comparable as an explicitly 100% vegan dining concept serving both committed vegans and curious omnivores.
• Plum Bistro: Independent vegan restaurant in Seattle focused on globally-inspired plant-based comfort food and cocktails. Comparable as a chef-owned, single-unit vegan restaurant leveraging bold flavors and house-made techniques to attract non-vegans.

Broad incumbents

• True Food Kitchen: Full-service restaurant group with a menu explicitly built around seasonal, plant-forward, and gluten-free options. Comparable on health-and-flavor positioning, craft cocktails, and globally-inspired vegan-friendly dishes.
• Sweetgreen: Large plant-forward fast-casual chain with dine-in, delivery, and catering. Comparable on healthy/organic positioning, multi-channel distribution (in-store, pickup, delivery, catering), and digitally enabled ordering, though menu is not strictly vegan/gluten-free.
• CAVA: Mediterranean fast-casual chain with strong vegan/vegetarian options, dine-in and catering operations. Comparable on globally-inspired plant-based cuisine, customizable bowls similar to Zest's globally-inspired menu, and multi-channel ordering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zestSLC
• Facebookfacebook.com/ZestSLC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zest Kitchen & Bar