Mark of the Beastro, the punk‑adjacent vegan coffee shop that grew out of a full‑service restaurant and shared a building with the Beehive music venue, is staying dark for the foreseeable future. The downtown State Street hangout shut its doors in October and has not returned to regular service. Owner Andrew Earley says the crew is shifting its time and money away from running a cafe and into operating and booking events in the Beehive space.
As reported by The Salt Lake Tribune, Earley told the paper the cafe "will not be coming back" and that resources are now being funneled into the Beehive. According to the Tribune, the closure started in October, and what was initially hoped to be a short pause has turned into a longer shutdown. Earley framed the move as a practical pivot to keep the venue and its programming afloat rather than keep a full restaurant operation going.
From Diner To Coffee Shop
Mark of the Beastro first opened as a full‑service vegan restaurant, then scaled back to a counter‑service coffee setup with weekend brunch. That evolution was tracked in local food coverage. SLUG Magazine praised its diner‑style vegan menu in a 2021 review, and local guide Gastronomic SLC traced the shop's emergence in 2019. The hybrid setup, with daytime coffee and late‑night shows under one roof, helped turn the spot into a reliable hangout for artists and fans.
Beehive Pulls Focus
The Beehive, an all‑ages venue in the same building, has always been central to the operation and even ran emergency fundraisers last summer. As detailed by The Salt Lake Tribune, rising rents, higher utility costs, and ongoing construction on State Street put serious pressure on the business, which pushed Earley to prioritize the event space. That financial squeeze, combined with the expense of trying to keep two separate operations alive, helps explain the decision to put the cafe on ice.
Directory listings now show Mark of the Beastro as temporarily closed, including its listing on Postcard. The cafe's online pages steer customers toward the Beehive's calendar and social media for news, and the building's ties to AAMP Utah show up in those channels as well. For the latest scheduling and fundraising details, check The Beehive on Instagram or AAMP Utah.
