For reservations, please call: 801.364.3472
Open Monday - Saturday
5:30 Bar - 6pm Dining Room
173 West Broadway
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Picture this: You’ve just finished
your Master's degree in clinical psychology and are
establishing your career when you receive a phone call
that will transform your life. That’s exactly
what happened to Karen Olson, when her brother Christophe
called her for help. He had barely opened the doors
to Metropolitan, when he needed Karen to step in make
the family's dream of creating a stunning world-class
restaurant in Salt Lake City, a reality.
Although Karen had no restaurant experience,
a background of rigorous academic study, an appreciation
for diverse cultures, combined with intellectual curiosity
and a streak of pure Midwestern grit enabled her to
make Metropolitan a culinary and financial success.
A native of East Lansing, Michigan, Karen was raised
in an academic family. After attending Cranbrook / Kingswood
Academy, Karen completed a B. A. in Social Ecology from
the University of California at Irvine, then a Master’s
Degree, with honors, in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine
University. As a Graduate Assistant at Pepperdine's
Community Counseling Center, she was instrumental in
designing and opening their new clinic. In addition
to seeing clients and earning intern hours, she developed
The Center's business and accounting systems.
If the ability to inspire loyalty,
run a tight ship, set forth high standards, while simultaneously
learning on one’s feet is the hallmark of a restaurateur,
then Karen Olson landed in the right profession. In
the ensuing 11 years, she has turned around a brilliantly
conceived yet floundering restaurant into what was recently
called “…the most award-draped of the city’s
restaurants,” by Travel + Leisure.
Karen is an innovative business leader.
She recruits and develops raw talent. She believes in
giving people opportunities to learn, grow, and develop
their craft. She has been instrumental in launching
the careers of numerous young chefs throughout the country.
In 2006 Karen developed The Metropolitan Culinary Team
-- a collaborative kitchen featuring four chefs who
share responsibilities and create culinary synergy.
She serves on the DiRoNA (Distinguished Restaurants
of North America) Board of Directors sponsoring scholarships
and promoting excellence in dining.
Karen is the founder and co-chair
of the Downtown Dine O’ Round. This highly successful
two week restaurant promotion brings together 40 restaurants
twice a year. For her work in increasing the vitality
and economic development of downtown Salt Lake City,
Karen and her committee were recipients of the 2004
Downtown Alliance Lifestyle Achievement Award.
In addition to her commitment to innovative
dining, Karen enjoys traveling, exploring new jaunts
with friends, playing with her Papillon, as well as
theatre, film, and athletics. She actively supports
community programs, including TheUtah
Food Bank, Komen breast cancer research,
Utah Symphony & Opera, Utah AIDS
Foundation and Share Our Strength.