By Richelle Primm, SVI Media

Jacz is now open in its new location in Etna. This family business is excited to serve more people all throughout the valley with more seating space and new food choices on the menu.

“We’re the ones in the big red barn with the fry sauce landmark,” Alex Ivie, one of the family owners, said.

She said the restaurant took all winter to build and it was a family effort and a labor of love. The men in the family built pretty much all of the inside and everyone used their different talents to build and design the restaurant.

Jacz first opened in April 2016, renting the Wolf Den space, and as the business continued to grow, they saw fit to build in a new location.

Alex Ivie said they are excited about their new location where they can now provide a bigger and more comfortable space for customers. She expressed how the family is also excited about the history the location and the restaurant itself provides with the property being connected to their family roots.

Eddy and Donna Ivie are the parents of this family owned and operated business. They named the restaurant after Eddy’s father, Jack, and after their kids by using the first letter of each of their kids’ names, making the unique spelling, “Jacz.”

Donna Ivie said they are honored to have this business located on their family-owned property for over 100 years. She said Jack was a well known and respected man in the valley and they are grateful to pay tribute to him through their business.

Jacz has added new food options to the menu every year since it opened and the newest item is “meltz.” Alex Ivie said the meltz have been super popular since they’ve been added. The “Jacz Yak Attack” was also recently added–a burger with locally raised yak meat and spicy fixings.

“We try to stay as local as possible,” Alex Ivie said. “We try to support local grocery stores by getting all of our produce here.”

They are also excited about their “Beat the Meat” challenge, Alex Ivie said. Three layers of burger patties topped with pulled pork, bacon strips, onion rings, and fried eggs, with fries and a root beer float. $35 for 35 minutes, or if you beat the time your meal is free.

“Our first winner was the first one who ever tried the challenge. He starved himself for a day and a half and then came in and beat our challenge,” Donna Ivie said.

Alex Ivie said the Ivie family hopes the Jacz restaurant provides a family friendly environment where people can come spend time together and enjoy a home cooked meal.

“We’re a family business and we understand what family needs,” Jennifer Ivie said. “We hear all the time we should charge more, but we believe in keeping the prices family friendly. We try to keep the price as reasonable as possible.”

Jennifer and Alex Ivie said there are future plans for a playground and an outdoor seating area for the restaurant. They said a lot of people are looking forward to that. The upstairs area will be a private party space and will also be available soon.

Jacz is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is open through the spring to fall seasons. Most of the business Jacz provides in the winter is catering, however, catering is available all year long as well.
Jacz is located at 107157 Highway 89, Etna, Wyoming 83118.

You can contact Jacz by calling 307-883-JACZ.

You can also follow Jacz on Facebook, “Jacz Drive-In” and on Instagram, “@JaczDrive-In.”