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South Valley Riverton Journal

South Jordan’s The Break claims Lunch Madness championship

Feb 26, 2019 03:46PM ● By Justin Adams

Since opening in 2011, The Break has expanded an additional 1,800 square feet to welcome more people. (Justin Adams/City Journals)

By Justin Adams | [email protected]

Last month, the City Journals conducted a tournament to determine the “best” locally owned and operated restaurant in the valley. We called it Lunch Madness.

Sixteen restaurants were nominated to represent their city by each of the newspapers that comprise the City Journals network. Then they competed in four rounds of head-to-head votes on Facebook. 

Thousands of people voted as they cheered on their favorite local diners, barbecue establishments and burger joints. Many of the matchups went down to the wire, but at the end of the day, only one restaurant remained standing: The Break Sports Grill in South Jordan. 

After thousands of votes, The Break edged out Spudtoddos from West Jordan with 53 percent of the vote.

The Break has been a fixture in the Daybreak community since it opened in 2011.

“I think there was a need for a good mom and pop lunch joint here,” said restaurant manager James Brandon, who goes by Bam. “When we opened the doors the floodgates opened.”

The Break is packed not only at night when it hosts activities such as karaoke, poker and BINGO (a woman recently won $1,300), but also in the afternoons when employees who work in the SoDa Row district of Daybreak go out for lunch. 

While The Break has all the things you’d normally expect from a sports grill—hamburgers, beer, nachos, etc.—its specialty is its homemade macaroni and cheese. 

The mac and cheese, which Brandon calls “crazy and off the wall” is made from scratch and to order every day. There are 10 varieties to suit a wide range of personal tastes—everything from the Southwest mac that’s loaded with black beans, green peppers and steak strips to a coconut curry mac with chicken and mango salsa. 

Gourmet macaroni and cheese is a specialty at The Break. This version is loaded with grilled chicken, bacon and jalapenos. (Justin Adams/City Journals)

“We call it grown-up mac and cheese,” Brandon said. “We have people drive from Park City for it.” 

The South Jordan and Daybreak community has been a perfect home for The Break, said Brandon, who said he especially loves the fun outdoor atmosphere during the summer months.

“We’ve got concerts going on; we’ve got people on their skateboards and bikes; they’re eating ice cream; they’re sitting on the patio listening to live music,” he said. 

He’s also noticed a unique relationship between the residents and businesses of Daybreak.

“Daybreak is so unique, where it’s a community,” he said. “We all know each other, from neighbors to businesses. We support each other. We businesses support residents that are in need, and they support us 10fold. It’s a neat neighborhood.”