Whether you’re a breakfast person or a lunch person, you can take advantage of discounts currently available for Mt. Baldy’s Top of the Notch restaurant.

On a clear day, diners can see Catalina Island from the 7,800 foot elevation restaurant’s patio (although we haven’t been that lucky). A short, easy hike away is a breathtaking view of the High Desert.

The breakfast deal is courtesy of Travel Zoo. For $19, you’ll get a round-trip ride on the chair lift to the restaurant, plus a buffet breakfast.

Normally, the chair lift ride by itself is $25, and the “hiker’s breakfast” package is $40.

Breakfast is served 8 to 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Click here for the deal, which expires May 6.

The lunch deal, from Groupon, is available for groups of two or four.

The “for two” deal includes the round-trip chair lift ride to the restaurant, and $20 to spend at the restaurant…a $70 value for just $29.

For four, it’s an even better deal. For $55, you get the round-trip chair lift ride and a $40 restaurant gift card, a $140 value.

The lunch vouchers are valid from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Click here for the deal, which could expire at any time.

Last year, we took advantage of similar deals and visited the Top of the Notch twice, once for breakfast and once for lunch.

One thing to keep in mind is that with the breakfast deal, everything is already paid for. You just show up, take the scenic ride to the top and start grubbin’.

With the lunch deal, you’ll probably have to still shell out a few bucks depending on the price of your entrées. A few of the items are under $10, but most are over. However, nothing is over $13.95.

Another caveat: You’re not really done once you purchase the vouchers. There are a couple of steps you have to take on the Mt. Baldy Ski Lifts website to activate them. It only takes a couple of minutes, but it seems like quite a few people were unclear on this on the days we went. Do yourself (and others) a favor by remembering to activate before you head up the mountain.

And the food? Well, it’s just what you’d expect. When your breakfast buffet and lift ride is less than the price of the lift ride itself, you can’t expect too much. The cafeteria-style buffet is definitely nothing fancy, but I remember a few bright spots.

Lunch fared a little better. While not super fresh (my burger and fries seemed like they were cooked from frozen), they did a decent job with what they had to work with. The burger tasted good and the fries were perfectly crisp.

Really, it’s all about the experience itself. The 15 minute or so ride to the top is somehow both terrifying and relaxing at the same time. Acrophobics beware: The chair lift towers are very tall and the ride would probably be unbearable for most folks who are afraid of heights.

Top of the Notch is definitely one of the more unique dining experiences here in the Inland Empire, and these deals help make it a reasonably-priced day trip. Just head up to Mt. Baldy, enjoy the chair lift ride, get fed and maybe do a little hiking. Have fun!

Here’s what to expect on the way down. Perhaps you won’t experience the heart-stopping pause in your trip.