AMERICAN FALLS — Navigating the past few months has been tricky for M and J Kitchen due to the nationwide outbreak of COVID-19, but that still hasn’t stopped their ovens from popping out warm cinnamon rolls and comfort-food meals for their customers.
The restaurant, which is family-owned and connected to Tres Hermanos in American Falls, has had to make adaptations over the recent weeks which included adding a drive-thru option.
But the recent addition, which was originally intended just to provide an alternative option with the social distancing guidelines, is something the manager thinks will stay.
“A lot of people ended up liking it so I kept it open even during this time so people can come and pick up their food,” said Jose Luis Pelayo, who has been manager since August. “And now more people call ahead and pick up through there. So it’s become popular.”
At the start of the quarantine, Pelayo said he had to lay off many of his employees until he was able to put in for a PPE loan, and then was able to bring them back on. However, there was a period where he was one of the only ones working at the restaurant.
“I was the only one working here with a little bit of help from a waiter and a night waiter, but I was the only cook prepping,” Pelayo said. “I was in here for about 15 hours a day, seven days a week, and that lasted about three weeks until I was able to rehire my employees.”
Currently, they have re-opened their dining area while closely following social distancing guidelines, but so far traffic hasn’t picked up to normal flow yet.
“It crept along when we were able to open,” Pelayo said. “We thought it would be a lot busier than it really was and I did stock up with employees to be here if that was the case, but it wasn’t, unfortunately. I think people still fear about (contracting COVID-19) but it’s all going to come to an end. You just have to have positive vibes.”
But even though the recent fears and guidelines have impacted M and J Kitchen, they are still working to cook up piping-hot meals for the hungry customer.
Among these diner-styled meals are chicken-fried steak, bacon cheeseburgers, and breakfast burritos, as well as pastries and pies that Pelayo said are quite the hit.
“The cinnamon rolls tend to be really popular,” he said. “I sell them by the dozens on Fridays.”
Due to its cozy atmosphere and friendly employees who know many of their customers by name, M and J Kitchen also tends to be a gathering for early-morning risers in search of a steaming cup of coffee.
“I have a big group of coffee drinkers that come by every morning,” Pelayo said. “They’re usually waiting at 5:30 and I don’t open until 6, so they’ll be waiting in their cars. Sometimes they come and see that we are here and they’ll knock on the windows and they’ll say, ‘Hey, we’re here, let us in.’”
Pelayo says their popularity is due to that small-town restaurant feel.
“We’ve been around here for a while, and people know the employees and we know people by name, so it’s like a family thing and customers feel like they’re coming home when they come in,” he added.
Another attraction that intrigues customers are the paintings from local artists on display at the restaurant, whether it be drawings of sea creatures or watercolors of mountains and plains. Each painting is for sale, and several are done by Justin Welch, who is the cook at the restaurant.
“He’s really artistic,” Pelayo said about Welch. “He’s got a lot more talents than just as a cook.”
While M and J Kitchen faces the impacts of the coronavirus, Pelayo says the important thing is the support from the community.
“Their support means a lot,” he said. “There’s not enough thanks we can give out.”
M and J Kitchen is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. It is located at 535 North Oregon Trail in American Falls.