We’re here on First South and Main Street in the heart of Bountiful, behind a crowd of people trying to get in the front door of a newish red brick building. It could be a bank run, or maybe something to do with Taylor Swift tickets.
Turns out it’s none of the above. The people standing in line are waiting to order a Philly cheesesteak.
This is not a one-time thing, the people queuing up will tell you. Most every day, rain or shine, it’s like this. At lunchtime, there’s no place in downtown Bountiful more popular than Vito’s.
This is true even if, on paper, it doesn’t make sense. At least not in a Harvard Business School business plan sort of way. Consider the following:
Vito’s is open just three hours a day, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and only on Monday through Friday. It’s closed on weekends.
Vito’s accepts only cash; no credit or debit cards.
When Vito’s runs out of food it shuts down. On especially busy days that might be 1:30 or even earlier. At which point, Vito will inform those in line they’ll have to come back tomorrow.