Regulars love that down home cooking

WASILLA — In Alaska’s fastest growing area, there are plenty of options for those looking to go out for a bite to eat. But it’s the longtime family restaurants that keep packing in the hungry customers.

The secret to success for Mat-Su Family Restaurant, which was voted by Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman readers as having the Best Homestyle Cooking, is keeping the food simple and fresh, said owner Mark Egbert.

“Everything we do is homemade and it’s fresh,” he said. “That’s what we do here. Our gravies, our soups, our sauces — and, we keep enough employees to keep people happy.”

Winning first place for Best Homestyle Cooking, as well as for Best Breakfast and second place for Best Lunch, has caused a buzz at Mat-Su Family Restaurant, said hostess PJ Osborne.

“We’re very excited,” she said. “As far as I know, and from what customers tell us, is that although we have so many new places to eat here, there aren’t enough places that make the down-home stuff to eat.”

That’s why homestyle cooking is so popular at the restaurant, Egbert said. On Monday’s the special is pot roast, Tuesday’s it’s meatloaf, fresh turkey on Wednesdays, corn beef and cabbage on Thursday’s and Friday is prime rib.

“When I get deliveries, if the eggs are not fresh, I send them back. I don’t want them,” Egbert said. “This restaurant is for the customers.”

And Egbert should know. Before coming back to the Valley to purchase Mat-Su Family Restaurant about four years ago, he started at the eatery as a dish-washer 28 years ago. During his career in the restaurant business, he said the key to success is not pleasing one customer once, but all of them every time.

“It’s our return customers, the locals, that we cater to,” he said.

And while Mat-Su Family Restaurant specializes in good, down-home, stick-to-your-ribs cooking, it’s the oatmeal that keeps some coming back for more, Osborne said.

“They love our oatmeal,” she said. “Really, I thought oatmeal was oatmeal, but I’m telling you, you’d be amazed to see how many bowls of oatmeal we put out in a day.”

Egbert said that’s because he uses only old fashioned oats.

“And they love it,” he said. “All day long we sell oatmeal. People come in at dinner time and order oatmeal.”

Mat-Su Family Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the week at 401 E. Parks Highway.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.