Page 104 - Flathead Living // Winter 2015

Food&Drink
When a 98-year-old customer asked Echo Lake Café man- ager Debra Hunter for a favor, Hunter didn’t hesitate. The elderly woman was a loyal patron of the restau- rant. Of course Hunter would take her on a motorcycle ride.
“It was on her bucket list,” Hunter says. “I was happy to help her check that o the list.”
The point is not that Echo Lake Café is a good place to get free motorcycle rides, rather that it treats customers like family. That might be an overused cliché, but it rings true here. People don’tlive98yearsbyplacingtheirsafety in the wrong hands. They know who their family is.
Christi Young, who owns the restau- rant with her husband, Bob, says their adopted relatives extend to both cus- tomers and sta , some of whom, like Hunter, have worked there since it opened in 1999.
“We’ve gone through divorces with them, pregnancies,” Christi says. “With some of the employees here, I feel like I have more than three children.”
“Food is nurturing,” she adds.
The closeness of both the employees and customers has more than senti- mental value. It’s a re ection of con- sistency and stability, which are cornerstones of the Youngs’ busi- ness philosophy. It also shows in the accolades.
“With some of the employees here,
I feel like I have more than three children.” CHRISTI YOUNG
TOP Echo Lake Café owners Christi and Bob Young are seen behind the bar area of the popular restaurant north of Bigfork.
BOTTOM Fresh-made salsa is a favorite of many patrons.
102 FLATHEAD LIVING S WINTER 2015-16