Dozens showed up to watch F. McLintocks auction — but nobody bid. Now what?
More than three dozen people gathered in a humid alleyway in downtown San Luis Obispo on Tuesday as the iconic F. McLintocks Saloon and Dining House building went up for auction.
Yet not a single person bid on it.
After three attempts to get a bid above the agreed-upon opening of $2,430,525.26, auctioneer Mike Bixler called it: The Shell Beach ocean-view property had not sold and would instead revert to the bank to potentially begin the process all over again.
“Damn,” an onlooker could be heard saying in the quiet following the announcement.
It’s a faltering step for the once-famed steakhouse chain that has served everyone from locals celebrating birthdays to a sitting governor.
F. McLintocks opened in the 100-year-old farmhouse building alongside Highway 101 in the 1970s under the direction of founders Bruce Breault and Tunny Ortali. The steakhouse quickly grew in notoriety, with a flurry of new restaurants opening across the county in the years following, as well as a retail food brand.
After falling upon hard times in recent years — most recently the unexpected death of second-generation owner Toney Breault in January — and a slew of restaurant closures, the building on Mattie Road was set to go to foreclosure sale Tuesday in the breezeway next to the Katcho Achadjian County Government Center.
Such sales are usually a way for a lender to recover money from a defaulted loan or mortgage. Potential bidders are expected to be prepared with cash or a cashier’s check in hand if they wish to purchase the property.
The property’s hefty asking price of more than $2.43 million was likely a roadblock for the average Joe walking in off the street, Bixler said.
“Once we get over those amounts, just the cash way gets to be a little expensive,” he said. “It’s gonna have to come from corporations, typically, rather than individuals that are interested.”
Ultimately, he said he wasn’t surprised that nobody bid on the property. That’s actually the usual way these commercial property auctions go.
What was unusual though, was the number of people who showed up to witness the auction.
“It was hard to say, because they were coming and going, but I got 43 when I first scanned,” Bixler said, noting that usually he performs his commercial property auction spiel in front of a crowd of exactly zero people — and maybe a flock of birds.
“I had no idea what to expect with this one, but to me, what do I know?” Bixler said. “A unique property we’re never going to see again in our lifetimes? I don’t know. It didn’t sell. Obviously, it didn’t sell.”
So what happens next?
According to Bixler, who cautioned he’s unable to offer concrete legal information on the proceedings, the property will now revert to the bank, which could choose to restart the process with a lower asking price.
The property could also just stay on the open market.
As of Tuesday, the building at 750 Mattie Road was still listed for sale by Pacifica Commercial Realty with an asking price of $5 million, or $357.14 per square foot.
“We are pleased to present a unique investment opportunity to acquire a 14,000-square-foot commercial building situated on approximately 2 acres of land in a highly desirable coastal location,” the listing read. “Formerly operating as a restaurant, the property benefits from unobstructed ocean views, making it ideal for a range of future uses.”
In the meantime, the iconic steakhouse building itself remains vacant, its once-glowing neon lights dark as the sounds of nearby waves and highway traffic echo off its historic walls.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 3:27 PM.
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