Mackay’s 9 Peaks Restaurant & Lounge is one of the few that’s open year-round. It serves breakfast and lunch daily

MACKAY – Until now, finding a restaurant in Mackay that’s open year-round has been challenging.

Natalie Becker and Brandon Scott saw a need for a family diner in the area that didn’t charge an arm and a leg, and that’s how 9 Peaks Restaurant & Lounge at 503 Custer Street was born.

The couple is celebrating the business’s one-year anniversary this month, and they’re thrilled with the response from the community.

The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It serves a variety of homemade, made-from-scratch breakfast and lunch items. Among them are a breakfast burrito with sausage, bacon or ham, eggs and hash browns, the 9 Peaks burger with a beef patty, mushrooms, a slice of ham and cheese and condiments. Natalie’s fresh taco salad is another item. EastIdahoNews.com sampled some of the menu, which you can watch in the video above.

Many of the restaurants in Mackay are seasonal. There are multiple options available to hunters, tourists, snowbirds and locals during the spring and summer months.

Scott and Becker were looking for a change of pace after working in different industries for many years. Scott, 47, from Idaho Falls, previously worked as a teacher and Natalie, 54, of Salmon, is a former Idaho National Lab engineer.

The couple raised their kids in Pocatello, and they’d often drive through Mackay to visit Becker’s mom, who passed away last year. Becker’s recent COPD diagnosis made the air quality and beauty of Mackay an appealing place to move.

“We’d had a greenhouse outside of town where we were providing produce for people to buy,” Becker tells EastIdahoNews.com.

“We’d sell plants in the spring and then produce throughout the summer,” Scott adds.

While participating in the farmer’s market at the park last year, they looked across the street at the building where their restaurant now sits and thought about “how much potential it had.”

For many years, it was the home of Amy Lou’s Steakhouse, which closed down several years ago.

“It was available and there’s a lot to offer,” Scott says. “It’s probably the best dining restaurant in town for a family friendly atmosphere.”

The restaurant’s popularity over the last year has made them realize there isn’t enough space, and they’re in the process of renovating two adjoining buildings to add additional kitchen space and seating.

“We’ve got a back patio. I’m hoping next year we can take advantage of that for summer seating,” says Scott.

They’re considering opening for dinner in the future as well.

Once the restaurant has been remodeled, they’re planning to rebuild the old motel at the end of the block that burned down years ago.

Though it’s been an incredibly busy year for the couple and a significant cut in pay, being able to make customers happy and work together as a family has been rewarding for them.

“Some big families are used to spending a lot of money (to eat) and a lot of them are pleasantly surprised when they get the bill from our restaurant. Keeping it affordable for families is by design,” Scott explains.