Caputo’s: It Takes a Village to Create a Salt Lake Staple

Caputo’s Market & Deli | 314 W. Broadway, Salt Lake City
(801) 531-8669 | caputos.com
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. | Sun: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Caputo’s Market & Deli is a dynasty that has ruled in Salt Lake City, but not with an iron fist cutting backroom deals and screwing people over like most corporations in 2026. Caputo’s established an earnest care for their convictions, craft and community onto multiple generations. Starting from his do-it-yourself farming Greek grandmother immigrating to Utah in the 1940s to his gregarious father Tony opening Caputo’s in 1997, Matt Caputo’s devotion was instilled by his family early.

“This isn’t just what we do. This is who we are.”

The current CEO of Caputo’s reminisces on how his father not only helped prepare him to run the business through an apprenticeship requiring a demonstration of both passion and competence for the business, but how he cared about people. “I don’t have his charisma, but I do have that care for people and community in my heart,” Matt says. He remembers how his dad could befriend anyone, make the underdog in the room feel included and make his workers feel special. They loved him for it.

When protestors gathered across the street at Pioneer Park to express outrage toward the ICE killings in Minnesota, showing support for what he deemed a worthy cause was easy for Matt. He followed his father’s example. Caputo’s offered snacks to protestors, even joining in with their own sign that said: “Free food and drinks for protestors — NO ICE.”

Initially, his gesture was met with complaints, negative reviews and the threat of losing customers. Then, the community reciprocated the same love Caputo’s has shown over the years. Comments lamenting the positive effect Caputo’s has had on people flooded in, along with over 500 five-star reviews to combat the earlier backlash, highlighting an already successful year for the mom-and-pop business.

“I don’t have [Tony’s] charisma, but I do have that care for people and community in my heart.”

This is not the first time they’ve stamped their name on their beliefs, as they passed out snacks for protests around the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. Since its inception, Caputo’s has established a culture that operates more like a family working together than a traditional business full of individuals clocking in and out. “Our position in the community definitely was started by my father,” Matt says. He says that everyone’s favorite part of coming to work was to hang out with Tony prior to his death in 2021.

Now, Matt has a new favorite part about clocking in: “My work gives me an incredible sense of purpose that I think is uncommon in a lot of retail industries. I feel really blessed that I feel that in my life and I feel it from my work specifically,” he says. Caputo’s mission is “to fight to preserve the food traditions of our collective ancestors,” which is accomplished each day as they fight against a broken American food system that favors factory farming, corporate interests and private equity over giving the consumer the best edible product. Matt explained his favorite products in-store right now, which included their homemade Sofi Award-winning chocolate (Caputo’s Wild Jurua), their wholesale sardines and Alpage cheese made by a 500-year-old technique, gushing over the incredible craftsmanship.

The only way a business can succeed for as long as Caputo’s has, especially in the cutthroat food industry, is by having a strong cultural foundation. “This isn’t just what we do. This is who we are,” Matt says, highlighting the dedication and love woven into the fabric of their business. The care for the human element inside and outside their walls, exemplified by giving their staff a path to a specialized career rather than just some side gig or dead-end job, is further evidence of their commitment to the community.

“My work gives me an incredible sense of purpose that I think is uncommon in a lot of retail industries. I feel really blessed that I feel that in my life.”

It’s no accident Caputo’s has become a staple in Salt Lake City and it will be no accident when the same is true another generation from now. Stop by at 314 W. Broadway, Salt Lake City, UT Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Tacos are a Love Language at Lone Star Taqueria
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