Espi Simmones gets an order ready to serve at Mack’s Family Drive-In in Tremonton on Wednesday April 12, 2023.
TREMONTON – Mack’s Family Drive-In, located at 80 E. Tremonton Street, has been flipping burgers, frying French fries, serving drinks and ice cream for nearly 60 years.
With dirty soda specials with names like Berry-Go-Round, Harvest Moon, Hyper, Orbiter, Spin out Star Ship, Zero Gravity and Zipper who can’t find something to hit the spot?
The drive-in has just about any fast-food sandwich a hardy appetite could ask for, including their Ham-dinger and famous Pickle fries.
The place was originally an Artic Circle, but they moved east of town to the Crossroads before the freeway went in and they are still there.
In 1965 Mack Hansen left his Elwood Farm and went to Tremonton to buy some tractor parts and when he returned, he informed the family he purchased a drive-in.
“There were seven of us kids and he wanted to keep us busy,” Kevin Hansen, Mack’s son, said. “We all worked there and so have some of our kids.”
The restaurant is not the only thing that keeps the Hansens hopping. They still have a farm to run and Kevin was a Farr’s Ice Cream delivery driver for some 35 years. He recently quit delivering for Farr’s. Hansen said they try to support the community and the community supports them.
They also have a corn maze during the Fall. During the corn maze season Mack’s offers tickets to the corn maze with their meals.
“We have had a food booth at the fair since we opened the drive-in,“ he said. “We usually sell food and drinks in our booth at the Box Elder County Fair. It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it to us.”
The Hansens feel like there is an advantage to keeping it a Mom & Pop shop atmosphere. At noon the drive though is packed with cars. And the indoor dining area is full of customers.
“I think people support us because we are local, the food is good and we have good, friendly people working here,” he said. “We have people come from out of town just to eat here.”
The Hansens have always been involved in the community in a lot of different ways.
“We have great employees and customers that support us,” he said. “And we have good food that keeps people coming back.”
Espi Simmones has been working at Mack’s for over a year and likes the work and the people she works for.
“There is nothing but good people here,” she said. “Kevin is such a jokester and always asks how we are doing.”
Watching the staff work, a person can tell they love what they do.
The Hansens just remodeled and updated their sitting area. The line of cars at the drive-in indicates how popular their drive through window is. People stay in their car to get their meal and off to their favorite destination to eat.
While drive-in diners have disappeared across the country the nostalgia of Mack’s Family Drive-Inn brings customers back to a time when there were several in town.
Over time, a lot of them have gone the way of Ma and Pop burger joints that stopped due to major franchises taking over but Mack’s Family Drive- Inn keeps flipping burgers and frying French fries for the people of the Tremonton area.