F. McLintocks Saloon closes in Paso Robles after 23 years. What about the other 3 locations?
F. McLintocks Saloon will close its Paso Robles restaurant after more than 20 years due to the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic — although the chain will continue to operate its other three locations.
The longtime San Luis Obispo County chain — which opened its first location in Shell Beach in 1973 — has operated a restaurant and bar at 1234 Park Street in downtown Paso Robles for 23 years, according to a post on the McLintocks Facebook page.
In addition to its Shell Beach restaurant, the chain also operates locations in Arroyo Grande and in downtown San Luis Obispo.
“It is with heavy hearts we announce F. McLintocks Saloon, Paso Robles has closed permanently,” the post said. “Sadly, the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been too much for us to undertake.”
Ana Breault, a McLintocks spokeswoman, called closing the Paso Robles location a “tactical decision” and said the chain’s footprint “has always been a little more South County.”
The chain also owns its Shell Beach and San Luis Obispo locations, while it rents spaces in Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande. That fact factors into business decisions, she said.
Breault compared closing the North County location to “(losing) one of your children.”
“Our places tend to just get really ingrained in the community, and we sorely miss being part of that,” she said.
What about other McLintocks restaurant locations?
Due to state coronavirus restrictions, county restaurants are able to open only for outdoor dining, which has created challenges for all the McLintocks restaurants.
The San Luis Obispo McLintocks location is currently open for outdoor meals Friday through Sunday — and the chain’s owners hope to open the Shell Beach restaurant soon, as well, Breault said.
McLintocks has had difficulty opening its Arroyo Grande location, as the Bridge Street Bridge reconstruction is taking place right down the street. Construction crews store their equipment and vehicles in the McLintocks parking lot, and it’s not financially possible for the restaurant to open only its patio, Breault said.
The restaurant had to furlough about 90% of its staff at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and has struggled to bring back workers, Breault said.
McLintocks has had to adjust its operations — changing its tableside ordering procedures and coping with a street umbrella shortage while setting up outdoor dining in San Luis Obispo, Breault said.
Moving outside also limits the number of guests the restaurant can serve, but that sort of operation still requires the same amount of staff. That means outdoor dining sometimes doesn’t pencil out, Breault said.
The chain was counting on being able to open its Arroyo Grande parking lot and patio, she said. Because that hasn’t been possible, McLintocks is continuing to rework its plans, Breault said.
“In order to remain viable, we’ve been forced to make some very difficult decisions that were not taken lightly,” Breault said.
The San Luis Obispo McLintocks location is currently open from 4 p.m. to closing on Friday and noon to closing on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit the McLintocks Facebook page at facebook.com/F.McLintocks.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 12:05 PM with the headline "F. McLintocks Saloon closes in Paso Robles after 23 years. What about the other 3 locations?."
