- White Horse Spirits & Kitchen reopened after a fire damaged it in August.
- Salt Lake City declared Thursday "White Horse Spirits & Kitchen Day" to celebrate reopening.
- Work is underway to reopen four other businesses heavily damaged by the fire.
SALT LAKE CITY — Several people stopped just to peer through the front window of White Horse Spirits & Kitchen, before a small line formed outside the downtown Salt Lake City restaurant.
"Nice!" one person said, while others remarked how surprised they were that it was already open again. The building's repaired interior was buzzing with customers within minutes of its official reopening Thursday evening.
"It's touching. I don't even know what to say — it just makes me emotional that people care this much about us," said Jason LeCates, White Horse's co-owner, as customers began filling in the room in front of him.
It was a much more joyous scene than the one nearly six months ago, when LeCates and other business owners on Main Street sifted through what was left of their businesses after a massive fire swept through one of Main Street's restaurant row in August.
White Horse, 325 S. Main, was one of five businesses that had yet to open by the end of 2025, joining Eva, London Belle Supper Club, where the fire originated, Los Tapatios and Whiskey Street Cocktails & Dining.
Yet, White Horse's owners found their building wasn't as badly damaged as first feared. Salt Lake City stepped in with loans and funds that helped them get to work as they awaited insurance policies to kick in, too, which helped them plan their return.
The entire kitchen and most of the interior had to be replaced, as did the ceiling, which had collapsed, but the team tracked down all the same people who designed the building's booths and other interior items. All of this led to a design that looks awfully familiar to previous customers.
Had it not been for a photo of the damage added to the wall next to some of the tables or the memory of the fire itself, some may not have even known that the restaurant was impacted the next time they arrive.
"It kind of feels like we're back home. Everything's exactly how we wanted it to be," LeCates said. "We think we nailed this, design-wise."
There are many familiar faces, too. Some employees were transferred to other bars and restaurants overseen by the same ownership.
Over two-thirds of the old team returned to the building a few weeks ago, where they shook off the rust and learned new menu items as they prepared a soft opening earlier this week, before Thursday's official relaunch.
"It's been a whirlwind — the past five months. We're excited to be back," said White Horse chef Matt Crandall.
Valentine's Day is already booked up, as are the next six weekends, which are often busier for bars and restaurants than weekdays, LeCates said. He figures business on weekdays will be hit or miss, but seeing the room fill in on the first day was gratifying.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall declared Thursday "White Horse Spirits & Kitchen Day" in the city, officially welcoming it "back to its rightful place in the heart of downtown." A copy of her declaration was proudly displayed for guests coming in.
Getting these restaurants back online isn't just important for those restaurants, but the 30 restaurants that surround them because there's a sense there's a hole in the middle. We're starting to fill that with White Horse.
–Dee Brewer, director of the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance
Downtown business leaders are also eager to see businesses reopening on Main Street.
The visitor and social sectors have become vital downtown economy drivers in recent years, and last year's fire put a large dent in that. It's why businesses celebrated when the city approved temporary measures to help visitors get to businesses on either side of the fire, and again when fences blocking the sidewalk were removed near the end of last year.
Thursday's opening marked the latest monumental step in postfire recovery.
"That block is so important to the downtown experience," said Dee Brewer, director of the Salt Lake City Downtown Alliance. "Getting these restaurants back online isn't just important for those restaurants, but the 30 restaurants that surround them because there's a sense there's a hole in the middle. We're starting to fill that with White Horse."
Rebuilding the rest
However, there's still plenty of work to be done.
Eva, a restaurant that experienced smoke damage severe enough to cause it to remain closed for months, announced earlier this month that it's hiring again, as it seeks to reopen soon. It'll likely take much longer for London Belle, Los Tapatios and Whiskey Street to reopen after those businesses experienced the most significant damage from the fire.
Andrew Adams, KSLThose buildings may also look different than before the fire.
LeCates also co-owns Whiskey Street, and he and his business partners plan to rebuild the structure with most of its historic walls, but they also plan to build it taller with a new rooftop patio for new dining experiences on Main Street. They're now hopeful that it will be ready to open by this fall.
The rest could follow suit, as the area slowly gets closer to what it once was.
"We're just one component, one step closer to healing this street altogether," LeCates said. "We need to get the rest of these buildings open so that the overall vibe of this street returns."
