Even when things get a little crazy in the kitchen, Mac always finds time to step out and chat with the regulars.

Third pointer — get some education. Some food purveyors, such as Sysco and Nicholas Foods, offer training seminars and help for restaurateurs. The Munnses took advantage of Sysco's expertise.

"You need to get with a company that supplies the food and also helps with training," says Cherie. "When we opened up the steak house we got hours and hours of valuable advice. And take some business classes, too. If we'd done that, we'd probably be retired now."

"You really need to know food costs and labor costs," adds Mac. "We didn't understand any of those things."

Fourth, hire good people.

"We have quality people as our busers and servers," says Cherie. "We approach everything as a team, with a feeling that every person who works here is just as important as any other."

Says Mac, "You have to learn to trust people."

Fifth, don't be afraid of change.

"You need to stay on top of the game and know what's going on," says Cherie. "Right now, you have to be health-conscious."

"We also try to bring recipes back when we travel, then improve on them," says Mac. "Our recipe for s'mores is a variation on something we saw in New York. And our portobello ribeye is our own take on something we tasted."

Finally, the most important ingredient in the Mom and Pop Munns "recipe for success" is something that can't be taught.

You have to feel like you belong to your community.

"If someone comes in and orders fries with gravy and tartar sauce," Cherie will tell you, "we know just what year they graduated."

"I suspect if we were in Salt Lake City," says Mac, "we might be able to stay open 24-7. But we like it up here. This is our home. Still, about half our diners are from out of town now. They come in once or twice a month and usually bring somebody new with them. Some people say our place looks like an antique shop. But everything you see in here is authentic. Somebody has either used it or could use it."

And in the end, there is the one item you can never buy at the Munnses' "double identity" diner. It goes a long way to ensure success.

That one vital item?

The personal integrity of the owners.

E-MAIL: jerjohn@desnews.com