Four years ago, William and Tali Bruce decided to own a chain of restaurants versus operating them. After being an executive with Five Guys, and Chief Operating Officer of Abundant Brands in Utah, William decided to take a leap of faith.

In 2017, the Bruce’s purchased six local ‘Bout Time Pub & Grub locations. Since that time, they added Robintinos.com to their family of restaurants. The couple recently opened a Robintino’s To-Go in Murray, with Holladay and Sugarhouse locations opening soon.

‘Bout Time Pub & Grub and Robintino’s were both recipients of Shop In Utah grants from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “Shop In Utah was a big part of our success and growth plans,” said Bruce. “Every grant dollar was put to good use.” These grants helped the businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic

With its ‘Bout Time Pub & Grub brand, the duo decided to have billboards placed near four of its locations on I-15 and I-80 and placed several social and local city newsletters ads. 

Additionally, the couple implemented a “First Responders Eat Free” at participating locations in Park City, West Valley City, Ogden, Taylorsville, Holladay, and the Gateway Mall. Signs also noted customers, who were not first responders, could eat for $1.The Bruce’s also created a ‘Bout Time Pub & Grub tailgate menu for select items that could be prepared in under five minutes for responders during the pandemic. 

“Our company survived these last months of 2020 with the help of Shop In Utah grants. The possibilities might be endless for 2021. Our fingers are crossed,” added Bruce.