Axios Salt Lake City
August 24, 2026
Hello, Monday!
- 🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high of 93.
🎂 Happy birthday to our member Mark Haddad!
This newsletter is 1,020 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: Airbnb challenges SLC enforcement
Airbnb's opposition over how Salt Lake City is enforcing its short-term rental rules is the latest in a string of objections the company has made in communities around the U.S.
Why it matters: Salt Lake City's new regulations comes as local leaders aim to increase the city's housing supply amid soaring costs and to improve neighborhood safety.
Driving the news: Airbnb sent a cease-and-desist letter to the city earlier this month, alleging the city created fake accounts to contact hosts and used those responses as evidence for enforcement violations, the Salt Lake Tribune first reported.
Zoom in: Under Salt Lake City's new rules, which took effect July 1, short-term rentals must be booked for a minimum of two nights, cannot be occupied for more than 200 nights a year and must obtain a business license to operate.
The intrigue: The friction in Salt Lake City centers on the city's enforcement methods rather than on the new rules.
- In the letter, Airbnb said the city's method of creating fake accounts to catch homeowners "raises concerns" under a state law passed last year, which allows a city or county to use a short-term rental website as evidence as long as it has "additional information" showing that the host violated a local ordinance.
The big picture: The platform has sued major cities including New York, San Francisco and New Orleans over local short-term rental regulations, with varying outcomes.
- In 2017, Airbnb agreed to settle a lawsuit it brought against San Francisco, where the company's headquarters are based, after the platform sued the city.
- A judge dismissed Airbnb's case against New York in 2023, saying the city acted within its authority to enforce restrictions.
- In a more recent case, a judge dismissed nearly all of Airbnb's case against New Orleans. This month, a federal appeals court upheld the city's short-term rental rules.
The other side: "Every day, we work with governments to make sure hosting on Airbnb strengthens communities," an Airbnb spokesperson said in a statement to Axios.
- "That means channeling the economic benefits hosting creates back into those communities, while protecting the rights of hosts who share their homes to earn extra income."
2. Written in the stars
We asked you to predict which Utah restaurants are likeliest to win a mention in the upcoming American Southwest Michelin guide, and now we're hungry.
The big picture: Utah eateries are eligible for the famously choosy guide for the first time when its selections are announced at a Las Vegas ceremony this week.
How it works: There are only 270 U.S. restaurants with the stars, but any mention in the guide is a huge accolade.
Your guesses: "We moved to Kanab from Las Vegas and have eaten at Picasso's and several other amazing restaurants, but Hell's Backbone [Grill] has them all beat," reader Mary Jane J. tells us.
- Others note Arlo, Table X, Veneto, Mina and Hide & Seek.
What they're saying: The Adventurist predicts stars for Hell's Backbone, Table X and Yuta in Wanship, with guide recommendations for Junah, Manoli's and Urban Hill, Park City's Tupelo and Riverhorse on Main, and Black Sage in Virgin.
- City Weekly is betting on Franck's, Rouser and Sushi by Bou, plus Park City's Glitretind, Remington Hall and Rime, and the Tree Room at Sundance.
- Longtime SLC food critic Ted Scheffler gives Monte a nod.
- Michele Corigliano of the Salt Lake Restaurant Association mentions Takashi, Kimi's, Mazza and Copper Onion.
- NRV Utah adds Black Sheep Cafe's name to the hat for its Indigenous cuisine in Provo.
The bottom line: All these guesses make a fantastic dining guide no matter how the stars align.
3. Fry Sauce: No Colorado River cuts for Utah
4. Elizabeth Smart takes the mic
Elizabeth Smart has launched a new true crime podcast that flips the script by placing survivors at the center of their harrowing stories.
Driving the news: "The Survivor Files With Elizabeth Smart" weekly podcast premiered last week and is slated to feature 48 episodes.
Flashback: Smart was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City home in 2002 when she was 14 years old by a man who used to work as her family's handyman.
- She was missing for nine months before she was recognized while walking down the street with her abductors, Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee.
What she's saying: "It is very important for our listeners to understand the magnitude of not just the stories, but of the people themselves — what they've been through," Smart told the New York Times.
5. The side hustle you can do from home
Some Salt Lakers are turning laundry into a side hustle to help bring in extra cash.
Why it matters: Unlike food delivery or other gig jobs, laundry service Poplin can be done largely from home, making it an option for parents and others in need of flexible work.
The big picture: The nearly decade-old app-based service — essentially an "Uber for laundry" — now operates in more than 500 cities nationwide, including SLC, per the company.
- Nearly 900 Poplin "laundry pros" are in the Salt Lake metro, company spokesperson Pete Bahrenburg tells Axios.
How it works: Poplin charges customers $1 a pound and workers keep 75% of that, plus all customer tips, per Bahrenburg.
The fine print: Poplin workers, like most gig workers, are independent contractors responsible for their transportation, water and electric bills, plus the wear and tear on their appliances.
👨🍳 Erin loved watching the Anthony Bourdain movie after all this restaurant talk.
🥳 Kim is wishing her boyfriend a happy birthday.
This newsletter was edited by Astrid Galván.
Sign up for Axios Salt Lake City
