Co-founder of F. McLintocks steakhouse chain dies. ‘He leaves an incredible legacy’
The co-founder and co-owner of San Luis Obispo County’s iconic F. McLintocks Saloon and Dining House chain has died, the restaurant announced Monday.
According to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page, Bruce Breault “reached the end of his earthly journey Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020, peacefully at home.”
”He leaves an incredible legacy and an indelible mark on the legions of lives he touched,” the post read.
Breault was 79 years old.
Breault opened the first F. McLintocks with steakhouse co-founder Tunny Ortali in 1973.
That year, the pair purchased Matties, a 100-year-old farmhouse restaurant on Highway 101 in Shell Beach. According to a timeline of the restaurant’s history, published in The Tribune on the 20th anniversary its opening, friends of the pair worked “for beer and barbecues” to renovate the building and install its signature ranch-era decor.
F. McLintocks opened on Oct. 1, 1973, serving 89 dinners the first night.
According to the timeline, one busboy’s “showmanship” in the early days of the Shell Beach restaurant led to the creation of the so-called “F. McLintocks High Water Pour” in which a server pours patrons glasses of water from high up in the air.
Through the years, the restaurant established itself as an icon of the local food scene.
In 1975, Breault and Ortali opened an F. McLintocks Saloon location in downtown San Luis Obispo, and the next year they launched a line of retail food products.
In the 1980s, the restaurant chain began setting up a barbecue pit during Thursday night Farmers Market in downtown San Luis Obispo and holding a “rib-tickling” event.
During the next decade, the restaurant chain grew both in size — adding a new Arroyo Grande restaurant in 1987 — and in popularity, garnering numerous local and national accolades.
In 1988, then-California Gov. George Deukmejian ate at the restaurant after a speech in San Luis Obispo, and a spokesperson for the restaurant attributed the decision to the steakhouse’s outstanding reputation and the hard work of its owners.
“Bruce and Tunny will never be satisfied where we are now,” then-public relations director Vicki Torrence told The Tribune. “They’re always thinking of where we could be, how we can be even better.”
Breault was also often recognized for his own work.
In 1989, Breault was won the Dewar’s Distinguished Do’er award among California restaurant owners for his community efforts, according to the Tribune timeline.
Over the years, Breault and Ortali remained closely involved in the business as it grew and added more restaurants. Eventually Breault’s son, Toney Breault took over as president of the company while the co-founders continued on as CEOs.
More recently, the steakhouse chain has experienced hardships with the coronavirus pandemic forcing closures and massive changes to the restaurant business.
In August, F. McLintocks management announced that its Paso Robles location was closing after 23 years as the business pivoted to focus more on its South County and San Luis Obispo operations.
Meanwhile the chain’s Arroyo Grande location stayed shuttered while a nearby construction project reduced its available outdoor space and patio-only dining made it financially unfeasible for the restaurant to remain open.
Breault died a day after the Arroyo Grande location was finally able to reopen after its months-long closure.
According to the restaurant’s Facebook post, a celebration of Breault’s life is planned for “a later date when it is safer to gather.”
The restaurant management asked the public to keep Breault’s loved ones in their prayers.
This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 10:32 AM.
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