The Base Restaurant & Bar in Layton, Utah: Seven Fast Facts –
The BBQ Blue Burger at The Base in Layton, Utah.
UPDATE: The Base Restaurant & Bar is now closed for good. The owners of the property sold it, and a Cane’s Chicken is being constructed on the site.
My Standard-Examiner story on The Base Restaurant & Bar told how employees transformed it from a chain restaurant to an independently owned business with a Hill Air Force Base theme. Here are seven fast facts about The Base, located at 694 W. Antelope Drive in Layton.
The Base Restaurant & Bar owners, Karlyn Walters and Gordon Davidson, were long-time employees of Boston’s. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, they transformed the chain restaurant into an independently owned restaurant.
1. Since 2007, the location was a Boston’s Pizza Restaurant, opened in 2007. Bartender/manager Karlyn Walters had been there since it opened, and general manager Gordon Davidson was with Boston’s for eight years. His wife, Mandy, was also a long-time Boston’s employee.
Davidson told me that with the coronavirus pandemic’s temporary halt to in-house dining and then social distancing, the restaurant took a financial hit. Layoffs were expected.
The Base Restaurant & Bar on Antelope Drive in Layton.
When the contract with Boston’s was up, Walters and Davidson took over ownership themselves. They had to create a new restaurant from scratch — policies, procedures, a menu, recipes, and so on. But being independently owned also let them be creative with their menu, and they could use more local vendors for things like baked goods and desserts.
The Base has an Air Force military theme, with drawings and photos.
2. Since it’s close to Hill Air Force Base, which brought in a lot of their customers, the name “The Base” seemed fitting. The military theme followed, with drawings and photos of fighter jets, and historic black and white pictures of things like the base’s 1940 groundbreaking. On the bar’s main wall is a tribute to LTC Dillon “McFly” McFarland, an F-16 pilot from Layton who died in a training mission crash in 2002.
A tribute to LTC Dillon “McFly” McFarland, a pilot from Layton who was killed during a training mission in Utah’s West Desert.
Philly Cheesesteak with jalapeno sauce and fries on the side at The Base in Layton, Utah.
3. The Philly Cheesesteak ($12.29) is the top-selling menu item. Thin-sliced ribeye, sauteed onions and peppers, and melted cheese are piled on a sturdy bun. One thing that sets it apart is the creamy jalapeno. Served on the side, it has a nice kick for adding to the sandwich or dunking fries.
Buffalo Cauliflower appetizer at The Base in Layton, Utah.
4. The Buffalo Cauliflower appetizer ($8.59) features cauliflower chunks dipped in a spicy batter, deep-fried, served on a bed of slaw and topped with blue cheese crumbles. Eating your vegetables never was so easy.
Quesadillas are one of the $7.99 lunch specials served Monday through Friday at The Base in Layton, Utah.
5. The $7.99 lunch special is a budget bargain, served Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It offers 10 different options, including wings and fries, quesadillas, soup/salad combo, pasta/salad combo, halibut and fries, and the “Base-ic” burger with fries.
The Lunch Special menu at The Base in Layton, Utah.
Salad served as part of the $7.99 lunch special combo at The Base in Layton, Utah.
Pasta Alfredo served as as part of the salad/pasta lunch combo at The Base in Layton, Utah.
Dinner-size ($16.99) deep-fried halibut, fries and housemade coleslaw at The Base in Layton.
Lunch-size ($7.99) halibut and fries at The Base in Layton doesn’t include cole slaw.
It happens that my husband and I have tried both portion sizes of the halibut in the past. So you can see the comparison between the $7.99 lunch and the $16.29 dinner portions. The dinner size could easily be split between two people and still have lots of fries to spare. But someone would have to arm-wrestle for dibs on the slaw.
6. When I asked about the “hidden gems” that they wished more people would try, Walters chose the Chicken Piccata. Davidson chose the Rocky Mountain Spaghetti & Meatballs.
Gourmet-style pizza, The Works, at The Base in Layton, Utah.
It’s also known for gourmet-style pizzas, such at The Works, and burgers, such as the BBQ Blue Burger, dripping with sauce and melted blue cheese.
The BBQ Blue Burger at The Base in Layton, Utah.
7. The restaurant is open 7 days a week, M-TH 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. The do takeout, curbside, and delivery through DoorDash.
The Base Restaurant & Bar on Antelope Drive in Layton.
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