Life On The Edge: The Story of Cliffside Restaurant in St. George, Utah
Updated: Sep 4
The story of Cliffside Restaurant is one of two best friends who've stuck together through fifty years of entrepreneurial ups and downs. They've never stopped believing in each other, in their faith, and in a brighter future. They turned a dilapidated, abandoned building they found on Craigslist into one of the best dining experiences in Utah. And knowing how they got there only adds to the experience.
It started with a pink hotel. It was 1980, and Tom and Dorothy Heers were accompanying some high school friends, Greg and Sylvia, on a vacation to San Luis Obispo, California. The main attraction was the hotel itself, although the Heers didn’t know that as they pulled up. Their first impressions were quite literally, Where is everything? No golf course, tennis courts, pool, or anything at all that would make this hotel worth singling out. Yet they were booked solid for six months straight. It was also significantly more expensive than other hotels at the time. After an uninspired conversation with the front desk, the Heers muddled around the parking lot for a few minutes. They noticed an array of getaway cars for recently married couples. Clearly this was some sort of honeymoon-destination type experience, and something about the hotel itself was keeping the rooms full. Then the Heers made their way to their friends' room, and realized what all the fuss was about. The room was a cave. Or at least it really wanted to be. The entire hotel experience was based upon individually themed rooms. Different countries, different eras, different worlds. It was an experience that really left an impression on the Heers. Tom's dad owned a construction company for decades, and he grew up in the family business. But rooms like this were something he'd never seen before. It was genuinely unlike anything a hotel had any business being, yet it was being it so wonderfully. It was something that didn't make sense on paper, but made sense on-site. Something you had to experience to fully appreciate and value. And the Heers knew people would love it back home. They also began to realize that in life there is an established way of doing things, which is typically the safe, less risky path most people choose. Then there's a seemingly outrageous but exhilarating path that isn't paved or deemed safe. This path involves more risk, and seemed to be the one Tom and Dorothy found themselves on most often. But is it possible for entrepreneurship to be both exhilarating and less risky? Can you experience bringing an idea to life without the worry of it crushing you if it fails?
Betting on Themselves
The Heers kept what they experienced in their back pocket. They wanted to build something similar back home someday. So over the next fifteen years, they built a resume serving on the city council, president of the home builders association, and other experiences that looked great on paper. They figured it would give them credibility with lenders down the road.
But the banks had different plans.
“We couldn’t get financing for our themed hotel,” Tom told Desert Founders. “The reason was, we wanted financing from a bank because they don’t take part of your project — you just pay them interest. But they don’t loan on things that aren’t sure things. If you have apartments or a chain restaurant they’re familiar with, the risk is lower.
“When you put beds in tree houses and stick them inside a room, that’s nothing they want anything to do with.”
As we spoke with Tom and Dorothy, we discovered that Dorothy is actually a distant relative of another American entrepreneur who faced similar critics and doubters in his day: Walt Disney. And much like Walt, she and Tom built their dream anyway. The Heers had thought up a way to get around the no's they were accumulating.
“I could never convince the financiers that Disneyland was feasible because dreams offer too little collateral.” - Walt Disney
They decided to prove the concept. They figured the bank could say no to wishful thinking, but they'd have a harder time rejecting revenue and booked out rooms. So they bought three condos from a resort near Logan, Utah, called Sherwood Hills, and turned them into two fully themed suites - the Pink Cadillac and the Tom Sawyer room. The rooms booked out immediately. People absolutely loved the experience and were happy to pay a premium for it night after night. The banks suddenly thought it was a good idea too.
The Anniversary Inn in Salt Lake City, Utah
Shortly after they proved the concept, their once "crazy idea" for a themed hotel received funding. The Anniversary Inn was born, and by the late 1990s had become one of the most successful hotel ventures in the region.
"We were the highest average daily rate in Salt Lake City," Tom said, "and we had the highest occupancy." Tom said The Anniversary Inn far exceeded their expectations of how successful it would be. He thinks it's because they've adhered to certain principles and just kept working hard. "We don't think of ourselves as very smart," he said. "We think of ourselves as very fortunate and very blessed. And we've worked hard. I've always loved principles. I believe there are lots of principles in business, and in marriage, and raising a family. If you stay true to the principles, and they're a truth, then you're going to be successful. And that's what we try to teach our employees." Another principle the Heers followed was focusing on the customer. They crafted unforgettable experiences and spared no expense when it came to wowing their guests. In the 1990s, big screen TVs and hot tubs were expensive and rare, yet they were in every single suite the Heers built. They treated customers differently and got wildly different results. This customer-centric approach would benefit them later on, too. With business going great, the Heers added more locations. They continued to grow, eventually selling the company. Shortly thereafter, they took a family vacation to Hawaii in hopes of relaxing a bit. But this next chapter of their life would prove to be far more challenging than they ever could've anticipated.
Keeping The Faith
That vacation turned into another business venture. Tom couldn't shake the idea of Hawaii needing a themed hotel experience. So when they got home, they called around on every island looking for a property and found one on the Big Island. They moved the family to Hawaii, secured a loan, and started building. Unfortunately, they were in the midst of building things out when September 11th happened. The banks told the Heers not to worry and that everything was fine. Not surprisingly, though, they called back the next day to pull the loan.
The Heers were now in Hawaii with no income, no business in the works, and a half-built hotel that now had no financing. Many, many miracles happened for the Heers during this difficult time that strengthened their faith, their marriage, and their family in general. But finishing this particular dream was not one of them.
The next few years were more or less a search for stability. Tom went back to school in Provo, Utah, graduating in the midst of the 2008 recession. They had the wonderful experience of serving a mission for their church, as they figured it was not the best time to try to start another business. Afterwards, they moved to Vegas and invested in some rental properties. Eventually they ended up in Hurricane, Utah, which was the most puzzling move of them all. They had to sell their rentals to make the move, which some called them crazy for doing. Their stocks had gone bad, and they were in desperate need of a source of income. A job, a business, a popcorn stand, anything to bring in some money. They were actively on the hunt.
"It got pretty scary for a minute," Dorothy said.
The Heers were willing to do anything they could to make ends meet. One day, they even walked into an employment center at a local Deseret Industries Thrift Store, in search of some help. "We went in there, and Tom takes his resume, and says, 'Do you have any ideas?'" Dorothy recalled. "And guess what? They didn't. They didn't know what to do with us. Because they never had people like us come in. We were older, and we looked successful, because we had been successful. And we just needed some help." But an interesting experience did come from asking the thrift store at all. As they were walking out, dejected and nervous about the future, a woman in an older, beat up car pulled up to them and rolled down her window. "Can we help you?" they asked.
"I just got the feeling," the woman said. "I know you're gonna be okay."
Confused but grateful, the Heers got into their car and felt a calm, happy feeling because of the woman's words. They still were in desperate need, but they felt like everything really was going to be okay. As firm believers, they saw the woman's kind assurance as a tender mercy from God, letting them know that they were being watched over, even during these difficult days.
"Her telling us that really lifted our spirits," Dorothy told Desert Founders. "Because we thought, 'okay, we don't know how we're gonna be okay, but we'll be okay.'"
Dorothy continued, "I think that was all part of the plan. To be humble. To just say, what else can we do?"
The Beginning of Cliffside Restaurant in St. George, Utah
“What else can we do?” is a question everyone should ask themselves. The Heers are living proof that, for most of us, the answer is simple: more than you think.
Not long after that experience, Tom was home alone one day and came across a listing on Craigslist. It was for a rundown, abandoned, cliffside property that literally had homeless people living in it. He fell in love with it, and took Dorothy to see it as soon as she got home. She was equally head over heels.
The dreamers kept dreaming, and with faith and grit turned that property into a beloved staple in Southern Utah with one of the best views in the region. They didn't know how to run a restaurant, but figured it out. "We were smart enough when we started this to know that we didn't know anything about a restaurant," Dorothy said. "Nothing. We'd never worked in a restaurant. All we've done is eat in restaurants." They met incredible people who were willing to coach them through the restaurant business. They lived on-site at times while renovating the building. Still having fun and still chasing the dream. Together. Miracles happened and some revealed themselves only as Tom and Dorothy paused to connect the dots looking back. From the degree Tom got in the recession helping them secure financing for Cliffside, to their experience in renovating properties. Even their early education in always following the customers. It was all a buildup to what the Heers told Desert Founders is now the most successful business they've ever started, hands down.
Among other awards, Cliffside Restaurant in St. George, Utah has been voted "Best of State" and "Best in Southern Utah" many times over. They're constantly booked out for holidays, and remain one of Southern Utah's most popular destinations for anniversaries and special events. The view alone is breathtaking, but the quality of food is a clear result of the Heers' longterm commitment to never cutting corners and always providing an unforgettable experience.
What They Want You to Know
"Sometimes we look too far away for mentors when they're right in our midst," Tom told Desert Founders. "People want to help. Most just don't realize it. Most think nobody wants to tell their secrets. Well, we do. We want to tell people how they can be successful. But very few people ask."
"I never asked my dad anything," Tom said. He watched his dad go from working a regular job to building a successful construction business. "He won Builder of the Year. And I never asked him anything... I just didn't think of it until he died. And now I have a thousand questions for him, and he's not here."
"I fear that my kids and grandkids just go, 'oh, that's grandpa, he wants to golf or fish.' But when you have an opportunity to grill somebody with questions, you don't normally think of it."
Aside from all the business lessons their story has to offer - proving new concepts, always pleasing the customer, never cutting corners, etc. - Tom and Dorothy's life is an example of a perpetual faith in the future. Dwelling on the past is never good, except to learn from it. Yet many people anchor themselves and their stories in things that happened to them, rarely breaking free from that narrative. But the Heers show us that good things are always on the horizon. Regardless of what has happened, you can chase dreams down if you're willing to put in the work. The best is truly yet to come. Maybe ‘good things come to those who wait’ needs a revision: good things come to those who wait and work. At the end of it all, the Heers have come out stronger in every way. A firmer faith in God, a stronger marriage and friendship, and a greater company than they've ever had. All because they kept moving forward, kept trying new things, and kept believing they could actually do it. Tough times will come, like they always do. But tough times can still be good times, both in the moment and when you're looking back on them. And when those times come, just move forward and do your best. And think back on the woman at the thrift store, and take her words to heart.
"You're going to be okay."
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