‘Jazz on the Patio’ at Holladay Caputo’s is a success

By Sona Schmidt-Harris | [email protected]

If you find yourself in downtown Holladay on a Saturday night, chances are you will hear some mellow jazz wafting through the air like the sumptuous aromas of restaurants surrounding the main plaza on Holladay Boulevard.

Every Saturday night, weather permitting, Caputo’s sponsors “Jazz on the Patio” from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Jazz nights typically continue through the end of September.

Born of the Friday night jazz events Caputo’s sponsors at their 1500 East 1500 South location, Caputo’s carried the tradition to their Holladay location beginning in 2015.

“Everyone loved it, from the surrounding restaurants to the people in the neighborhood. We figured we might want to try it in Holladay,” CEO Matt Caputo said.  

Caputo’s is loyal to the Caputo’s Allstar Quartet, who perform Friday evening at their 15th and 15th location, and Saturday evening at their Holladay location.

“Zach (the organizer of the quartet) puts together a different ensemble of people every week,” Caputo said. “It’s an evolving mix of people who are actually playing.”

“We wanted something that was not necessarily just a focal point, but something that would also accompany food so that if you want to come and just be completely engrossed in the music, you can do that. But if you wanted to come like many of our customers do and just have some nice stuff going on in the background that you can still have your conversation with or have it not necessarily be the focal point, we felt that jazz was a great vehicle for that,” Caputo said. 

“Also, we’re just big fans of jazz, and think that it goes really well with food and our food in particular. It’s a great American music that we love.”

Caputo believes that while it’s in the eye of the beholder what food pairs well with jazz, he said, “My favorite thing up there is to get one of the cheese flights and a glass of wine or beer.” He also normally gets the special of the evening. “I’ll always end with one of their chocolate chip cookies because all of the chocolate chip cookies at all of our Caputo’s locations are actually made by Marion at Caputo’s Holladay, and they’re good at all locations, but they give them such TLC that they’re spectacular there.”

While Caputo’s doesn’t take reservations, there is generally only a five- or ten-minute wait.  Caputo’s is not a full restaurant. It is a deli with very quick, casual-style service. Tables are on a first-come, first-served basis. However, the general manager of Caputo’s puts out a lot more tables to accommodate a larger crowd on Saturday night.

“It’s so nice for me as the CEO to be able to go up there and relax and know that my team puts on such a wonderful event that goes off without a hitch with no input/oversight needed at all whatsoever from me, and on top of that to have the community up there embrace it as strongly as they have, we just feel lucky to be a part of it,” Caputo said.

Holladay Caputo’s is located at 4670 Holladay Village Plaza, Unit 101 in Holladay.