A Taste of Utah History: Morrison Meat Pies and the Granger Connection

Each Morrison Meat Pie was still made largely by hand — the dough rolled thin, pleated into metal rings, filled with perfectly seasoned beef, and sealed beneath a golden crust before baking — a process so timeless that it hadn’t changed in more than a century

For generations, Morrison Meat Pies were a Utah staple—a savory, hand-held comfort food that warmed both bellies and hearts. The company’s story stretched back to 1883, when Thomas Morrison, a New Zealand immigrant, began selling his homemade meat pies near Temple Square. What started as a simple recipe of spiced beef baked inside a flaky, golden crust grew into one of the state’s most beloved food traditions. By the time the company closed in 2016, it had been in operation for 133 years, making it older than Campbell’s Soup, Heinz Ketchup, and even the state of Utah itself.

In its prime, Morrison’s was known for doing things the old-fashioned way. Each pie was still handmade — the dough rolled and pleated, filled with seasoned beef, and baked to perfection before being frozen and delivered to grocers statewide. At its West Jordan plant, Morrison’s small team of a dozen employees could produce up to 5,000 pies a day, supplying homes, schools, and lunch counters across Utah. For many, Morrison’s Scottish-style meat pies were a taste of home; as one lifelong patron recalled, his father would stop by the old Salt Lake factory near West High School to pick up a fresh batch—“one of the fondest memories of my childhood.”

That same comfort food legacy reached Granger in the fall of 1970, when J. Blaine and LouGene Grant opened a Morrison Meat Pie franchise at 3145 West 3500 South. Their A-frame shop served breakfast, chili, stew, and the ever-popular $1 meat pies on Tuesdays and Thursdays, quickly becoming a community favorite. The Grants’ restaurant embodied the brand’s spirit of hard work, family, and local pride.

Though the Granger shop only lasted a few years before becoming a der Wienerschnitzel, its memory—and the aroma of fresh-baked meat pies—still lingers in the hearts of longtime residents. And though Morrison Meat Pies eventually closed its doors in 2016 after financial setbacks, the company’s 133-year history remains one of Utah’s proudest homegrown food legacies.

For Granger, the little A-frame on 35th was more than just a restaurant—it was a link to one of Utah’s oldest and most cherished culinary traditions.