Sporting the motto, “The Best is None Too Good,” Maddox Ranch House in Perry has been a staple of the community since 1949. Now on its fourth generation, Maddox is proudly family-owned and operated, putting people and connection at the top of its priority list. 

“It is a special place,” said Irvin Maddox, the current owner and the grandson of founder Irvin B. Maddox. “It was taught to me by my dad that pretty much the reason we are there is for people.”

Growing Up from A Log Cabin Cafe on Skids 

Maddox was founded by Irvin B. and his wife Wilma. Before opening the Ranch House, Wilma and Irvin operated a restaurant in Ogden called the Double J Steakhouse, but commuting from Brigham City daily. Wanting to be closer to home, they found a piece of property next to the highway and set up a small cafe. 

When the Maddox family moved to their new Perry location, it was just a single cabin built on skids so it could be moved easily. You might say it was a Davy Crockett-style food truck. 

As it turned out, the location was just fine and they didn’t need to move anywhere. Since then, Maddox has kept its doors open, serving steak and country-style food to Utah families. It is the place people congregate, and where special occasions like birthdays, holidays, and graduations are celebrated. Maddox is grand, both in size and in community impact.

Over the years, the ranch house grew into a landmark. The original log cabin was expanded many times over, and today can seat more than 380 diners. Next to the ranch house sits a retro drive-in staffed by carhops, that has a vintage awning and signage, looking like it came straight out of a time machine from the 1950s.

Quality Food, Quality People 

The Maddox Ranch always works to source nearby food and shop locally. There are an incredible amount of local farms and agricultural products just outside of the Maddox’s back door, with Box Elder County featuring many orchards, ranches, and farms.

“Maddox was doing farm-to-table before it was even a word,” Irvin Maddox said. “We raised our own beef for 50 years, and I was on the very tail end of that, so I got to see it as a little kid on the ranch.”

Maddox clearly focuses on fresh, quality ingredients. The dinner salads have crisp lettuce and flavorful dressings. The rolls are house-made, warm, and the whipped-up strawberry butter on the side is to die for. The quality of the meat goes far beyond what most steakhouses offer, especially the large corporate chains. It’s like the steakhouses of the 1990s, when quality mattered and cost-cutting hadn’t happened yet. 

“Price is an important factor in running a restaurant and what you are purchasing, but we found a good mix of high-end quality ingredients,” Irvin Maddox said. “We try to put as much of that on the plate as possible through the volume that we do, and then charge whatever we need to charge because that has been a winning combination.”

New Business Models and Challenges 

In the restaurant industry, and especially for a big one like Maddox, change is constant. Some things stay the same, but Irvin Maddox points out, “There is no resting on our laurels. We are constantly training, there is always a new hire, and it is all about pushing and changing and getting people to grow out of their shell,” he said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maddox successfully pivoted to a to-go and drive-through business model. They routinely sold out of more than 1,500 pre-made meals a day. They told the Standard-Examiner in 2021 that their drive-in and take-out service broke sales records. 

Technology is one of the biggest shifts that has occurred. Irvin said that just a few years ago, they were buying full Yellow Pages ads. Now they are looking into modern tools, updating their old building, and streamlining things to keep dinner running smoothly. 

“There are just concepts that the restaurant was built on, which are to be transparent and honest, and also recognize that we need to make a living as well. These sorts of concepts are there and they do not change,” Irvin said.

Time moves forward. Trends bring different tastes, aesthetics, and desires. But some principles and values stay the same. Maddox Ranch House has endured because it never forgot what made it special. As it heads into its fourth generation of family ownership, the legacy of “The Best is None Too Good” matters more now than ever, guiding every plate and every celebration under Maddox’s roof.

Photos courtesy of Maddox Ranch House.