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[REVIEW]
Snack of All Trades From healthy food to vegan fare to decadent delights, UKraft does it all Written by
CHERYL BAEHR UKraft multiple locations including 701 Market Street, 314-376-4352. Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat. 7 a.m.-2 p.m. (Closed Sundays).
M
att Ratz will never forget the feeling he got from watching the moving trucks roll into the lot of the Clayton egions entre office building in early March of 2020. Like everyone else he’d been growing increasingly concerned about a new coronavirus that was emerging as a global health threat but he wasn’t all that sure what to make of it. owever if he and his brother i e had learned anything since opening raft inside the building a year and a half prior it was that the won s who wor ed at its financial firms had an inside scoop into what was happening in the world. That they were not simply locking up but pac ing their things for the long haul was an ominous sign. Nearly two years after those early days of the pandemic the at brothers cannot help but feel luc y. ot only has their brand raft been able to survive inside the sparsely populated egions office building while their food truc found even bigger success than it had prior to the crisis they have been able to propel that momentum into a growing fastcasual force. The current crown jewel of the emerging UKraft chain is their flagship location a bric and mortar near downtown’s ity arden that opened early last year. That they have been able to grow amidst such challenging times for the hospitality industry is a testament to the brothers’ vision which has been percolating throughout their decade plus in the restaurant
UKraft improved on the fast-casual model with fresh ingredients and attention to detail. | MABEL SUEN
Matt and Mike Ratz have managed to build UKraft through tough times. | MABEL SUEN business. Though the pair always dreamed of doing something on their own they honed their chops working for others, with Matt focused on front of house and operations while i e developed his skills in the kitchen. ver time att and i e both homed in on the fast casual sector including the healthful dining focused ic ed reen which opened its first location in layton in . The brothers fell in
love with the idea of a chef driven uic service spot and after two years felt that they were ready to ta e what they learned as a umping off point for their own business. At first the idea centered around a build your own healthy meal concept (hence the name raft that would roll out as a food truc . As they wor ed out their plans though the idea transitioned into already composed wraps salads sandwiches and
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soups still centered around more fresh wholesome ingredients. raft may have branded itself as a healthier alternative to traditional fast food but the at es found success in positioning themselves as a restaurant that could cater to a wide variety of dietary needs particularly focused on those wor ing in offices. They gained significant steam in partnering with Ameren while the energy company was wor ing on a new food service setup and that arrangement gave them the idea to loo for a permanent post inside an office building. In they in ed a deal with egions entre and uic ly became the go-to lunch spot for hungry office wor ers both in and around the building. Their model should’ve gone down in flames considering that two years later, the overwhelming ma ority of office wor ers are still remote. Instead raft is experiencing growth month after month something the brothers credit to their ability to adapt as well as the fact that being a fast casual setup allowed them to meet the pandemic moment. This is particularly true of their
JANUARY 5-11, 2022
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