The early Bluebird gets food, candy and romantic ambiance
You may have heard of it before you ever lived in Logan. And the same might be said for your parents. The Bluebird Restaurant, located at 19 N. Main, has been a Logan institution for more than 80 years.
The history and tradition of the Bluebird Restaurant are parts of what makes it a popular location for many special occasions.
When Colette Smith graduated from USU in January, the Bluebird Restaurant was where she wanted to celebrate the event. “I’ve had a lot of memories there. It’s something I can’t get anywhere but Logan,” Smith said.
Caroline Smith, Colette’s mother, said the restaurant has become a family tradition – they stop every time they go to Logan.
The combination of classic ambiance, gourmet candies and chocolates, and quality food makes the Bluebird particularly popular for Valentine’s Day.
The Bluebird’s candy – which comes from Alvey’s Candies in nearby Richmond, Utah – is popular throughout the year but especially around Valentine’s Day, when the heart-shaped boxes of chocolates bring in extra customers.
Joni Hogge, a freshman dental hygiene major who also works at the Bluebird, said she remembers being called in to work one day just to help stock chocolates while two other cashiers rung up all the candy purchases.
“Women like chocolate, and it’s an easy gift for men,” said Jeanette Kelly of Alvey’s Candies in Richmond. She said Valentine’s Day is different from other holidays in that there are a lot more last-minute purchases.
Kelly said Albey’s chocolate hand-dipped strawberries and caramel hearts, both special for Valentine’s Day, are among their most popular items. An Sheng Xu, owner of the Bluebird, said the O’Aggie Bars, cherry cordials, mint wafers and orange crèmes are among the restaurant’s most popular items.
However, aside from the candies, dining at the Bluebird is also a popular on Valentine’s Day. Xu said the restaurant’s atmosphere, with its sense of class, history and affordable quality food, makes the restaurant a great location for an enjoyable dinner date.
The Bluebird Restaurant was originally opened by Guy Cardon in 1914 and moved into its current location 19 N. Main in 1922. The restaurant has had several owners, with the Xu family owning the restaurant since 1994.
The Bluebird maintains its historic feel by design. Xu has given tours of the building to people interested in its historical look. The dark wood throughout the restaurant’s framing and walls are original to the building, and the chandeliers and pictures on the walls date back to the 1940s and ’50s.
Similarly, the imported Swedish marble and the glass that lies behind the soda counter were built in 1922, said Katie Tibbets, a Bluebird employee. Tibbets said the antique soda counter is a big part of what gives the Bluebird its unique look.
“It’s the first thing I noticed when I walked in here,” she said, adding that it helped make her want to work at the restaurant.
Xu said the historic ambience of the Bluebird is a large part of its appeal for many events. Additionally, there are five individual rooms that can be used for events. The Florentine Room, which is on the third floor of the building in what used to be the ballroom, is the most popular for many private events.
The Florentine Room is situated away from the dining room, which allows for more privacy as it looks over Logan from above. Hogge said the privacy and nice setting of the room led her to choose it to celebrate her one-year anniversary with her boyfriend.
Whether in the Florentine Room or dining room, the Bluebird has been the sight of many engagements in Logan over the years. Xu said customers have asked servers to place the ring along with their date’s dinner or in a box of chocolates.
This year the Bluebird Restaurant will feature a Valentine’s Day buffet consisting of prime rib, shrimp, several chicken dishes and many desserts. The price for the buffet is $15.
-tliljegren@cc.usu.edu