SLO County restaurant celebrates 20 years of serving ‘hillbilly French fusion’
Jeff Jackson’s dream was to play the music he loved — Johnny Cash and George Jones — in a restaurant he owned.
That dream was realized 20 years later when Jackson and his wife Lindsay Jackson opened The Range in Santa Margarita at 22317 El Camino Real.
“Since then, we’ve just been real lucky,” Jeff told The Tribune while sitting on The Range’s outdoor patio. “There wasn’t much going on here when we got this property about 23 years ago. It was a one-horse town for sure. It’s a lot different now.”
The Range opened on Oct. 27, 2005, with two waiters, one cook and the Jacksons working the restaurant with their three children, including Cheyne Jackson, who started washing dishes at 15 years old.
Lindsay Jackson said they were expecting 40 people for their opening night, and ended up serving 70.
Since then, their restaurant journey has been a surprising success, with the Jacksons “sticking to their guns” and what works: their casual and mellow atmosphere.
“People come here just to lay back. You could wear shorts, dirty work boots or whatever,” Jeff said. “Just come and get a good meal. ... We can’t save your marriage, but we can make you leave satisfied, happy and talking about something.”
The Jacksons owned another restaurant before The Range — Mare Blu in Los Osos from 2001 to 2003 — and Jeff Jackson has been working in restaurants since 1987, when he cooked for the military. Years of work and apprenticeships for European chefs led to The Range’s menu, which they describe as “hillbilly French fusion.”
The Range’s menu consists of an Angus filet of beef with gorgonzola, a black Angus coffee crusted ribeye and a forest mushroom ravioli dish. While their menu changes with the seasons, the Jacksons live by the “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” rule.
“He never lets anything change,” said Lindsay Jackson, referring to her husband. “He always thinks restaurants, sometimes if you move or if you change your ways, change your dishes or your uniform, he’s like, ‘No, if it works, don’t mess with it.”
Beyond the grub at The Range, the 20-year-old restaurant’s rustic charm — with vintage metal posters of beer advertisements and wine corks wrapping around the wall railings — make the eatery not “cookie cutter” in its design choices, Jeff said.
“We love to collect antiques ... and all kinds of junk to put in here to make it funky,” he said. “The whole idea is that you step back in time.”
The time-traveling impression of The Range is also reflected in its payment options. Since it opened, the restaurant has not accepted card payments, only cash or checks.
“This restaurant definitely has a strong theme going through it,” Cheyne Jackson said. “A lot of people that come in, they actually embrace that. They come here, and especially people that have come in the past, they know what to expect.”
The Range celebrated its 20-year anniversary by bringing back special dishes that were on its menu from 2005, including crawfish cakes, frog legs, goober pie and cardamom angel bread. The limited edition menu was available from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, Jeff Jackson said, to celebrate all that The Range has been through over the years.
“I can’t believe we did it, you know what I mean?” he said. “It was a lot of work, but it’s a lot easier now, we have a bigger staff and stuff. I’m just grateful. It feels great. But I look back, I don’t know that I could do it again.”
As for what’s next for the restaurant, Jeff Jackson said they are going to “keep on keeping on,” and points to Cheyne Jackson as the future of The Range.
“I like working with my family,” Cheyne said. “I don’t ever want them to be completely gone. That would make a little bummed out, kind of seeing the progression over the years. I really relish the time when we’re all here together. I would like it if he never retires.”
For more information
The Range at 22317 El Camino Real in Santa Margarita is open Tuesday to Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information, call 805-438-4500 or visit its Facebook.