Outside the storefront of G.O.A.T. Argentine Grill & Bakery in Orem. The store hosted it’s grand opening on Sept. 12. (Jess Ridd)
G.O.A.T. Argentine Grill & Bakery, a restaurant off 800 N. in Orem, hosted a grand opening on Sept. 12.
Although the restaurant had their grand opening in September, they actually opened for business on July 31, preferring to begin with a soft opening.
Soft openings are a common way for restaurants to test the waters and train employees before a grand opening. Some soft openings are exclusively for family and friends or smaller groups. In the case of G.O.A.T. Argentine Grill & Bakery, the restaurant simply opened quietly.
Part-owner Diego Lopez explained that they first relied on word-of-mouth for advertising.
“We didn’t do any publicity, we didn’t do anything, we just opened,” Lopez said. “The idea was to test the system, to train employees, to kind of get ready.”
Lopez said that after the owners and employees felt prepared, they advertised for the official grand opening this month through their social media accounts.
Kimora Medina,18, was hired as a cashier and server at G.O.A.T. shortly before the soft opening.
“We only trained for like two days because we were helping set up for everything,” Medina said. “I was on the register for like maybe 40 minutes, and then we opened two days later.”
G.O.A.T. employee Nicolás Matus holds freshly baked Argentine pastries. Lopez said the restaurant bakes fresh batches several times a day. (Jess Ridd)
For the restaurant’s grand opening, the owners hosted a ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m. with many attendees, including Karen McCandless, Orem’s mayor. Along with food from the restaurant and its food truck, the event included a DJ and dancing.
“All day until midnight we had people non-stop,” Lopez said.
Since G.O.A.T. Argentine Grill & Bakery’s soft opening, Lopez said they have not spent any money on advertising, but instead relied on Instagram, TikTok, word of mouth and Google reviews. But despite the minimal advertising, Lopez said the restaurant is only getting busier.
Empanadas from G.O.A.T. Argentine Grill & Bakery. The restaurant was founded by native Argentinians and features many authentic Argentine dishes. (Courtesy of Maddie Parkinson)
Maddie Parkinson, who served a church mission in Argentina, said she’s been craving authentic Argentine food ever since she got home. She heard about the restaurant on TikTok and double-checked on Instagram.
“I was almost in tears because it was a straight blast to the past. It tasted just like the meals I’d get on a daily basis,” Parkinson said.
Lopez said happy customers like Parkinson are the real key to success and good reviews.
“I guess people tend to do it when something is really bad or when something’s really good. So if you do a really bad job, for sure they will put a one star. If you do a really good job, almost for sure they’ll do a five star,” he said.
Lopez said while they have never asked people to leave reviews, they’ve received over 90 in the nearly two months since opening. The restaurant has an overall 4.9 star rating on Google reviews.
Dining and Cooking