Jack’s In Old Orcutt

We used to go to Jack’s years ago for excellent food in huge amounts. I should have known something was wrong when we arrived at 7:00 on a Saturday night and the restaurant was no more than half-​filled when I remember people spilling out the door. In short, the food was without question the worst I have ever encountered in a restaurant. One of us had what they called meat loaf. As far as I could tell the meat loaf was indistinguishable from my chicken fried steak, except for the breading. I mean, whoever heard of meat loaf that could not be cut with a knife. Another of us had what was supposed to be roast beef but appeared to be flakes of beef cooked to dry crunchiness. My chicken fried steak was leathery and entirely without an iota of flavor. If you value your digestion and your money, stay strictly away from Jack’s.

Found this place through Unilocal and thought we would give it a try. Not at all disappointed! Breakfast served all day and a great lunch menu. We had breakfast, french toast and biscuits & gravy; both were delicious. Would definitely go back.

Had breakfast here today and it was great. The service was top notch as well. I shall return without a doubt

Absolutely awesome eggs bennidic… great service… worth a return visit. Gravy and biscuit are super

Terrific food. New management and décor for about a year. Great menu, delicious burgers. Perfection.

Very friendly staff! Never much of a wait, always quick service. Their portions are plentiful, food tasting, and a good price. Much prefer this place over Kay’s.

Went here a few weeks ago and was extremely disappointed. Service was horrible, coffee was watery, water tasted horrible, and the food was bad. The omelet I had tasted like it was just melted butter and grease, no flavor at all. Stick to kays if your in the area. I will not be coming back.

Ok, I was really amazed at the high quality cheese burger I ordered here at Jacks. It was perfect and just as I ordered. I love my burger loaded with cheese and rare. It was done perfect, rare juicy with a fresh bun and the finest fresh ground beef., this is one of the best. Burgers i have had in a long time
I saw many variations in the menu all I am sure are just as good but this is true American. Try this place you will agree it’s quality and taste are the best.

Since the owner change Jacks SUCKS
I am sitting here waiting for breakfast as I type this, CRAP service coffee slow, no waitress for 20 mins … Then still waiting for breakfast … Been here an hour, no food yet … About to walk out …

My family and I were rather disappointed in our visit to Jack’s. We went for breakfast on Veteran’s Day and they were pretty busy. We stood in front of the host’s station for 10 minutes before we were even acknowledged. Three servers and the owner checked people out and did not even make eye contact (we were less than five feet from them.) We finally had someone acknowledge us after I spoke up and she seemed very put out to seat us. She then walked away, filled up two tables coffee orders and then came back to seat us (the table was free the entire time.) I understand being busy, but a «Hi, we’ll be with you in a minute,» goes a long way. It was a very unwelcoming vibe.
I generally overlook poor service or ‘tude from staff if the food is good. Being busy, I wasn’t bothered by the wait for food, but my order sat in the window for ten minutes and the toast on my sandwich was very soggy by the time it got to me. The eggs were cold and the cheese wasn’t melted. My husband’s corned beef hash was seemingly from a can. My daughter’s pancake was good. It seemed like a rough day for everyone working there, but the whole experience was kind of a bummer.

Very pleased! I haven’t been here in years and went for dinner tonight and was pleasantly surprised. The oak BBQ is awesome! My burger had so much flavor and was cooked to perfection. I will definitely be going back.
Our waitress was not as impressive but, I’ve dealt with worse.

Just tried Jacks tonight since the new owners took over and boy were we disappointed! The menu has changed, prices went up and the offerings much less.
I ordered the special, grilled cheese and bacon sandwich for $ 10.95. I got 2 pieces of bread hardly covered with any cheese and bacon! When I showed it to the server she took it back and the cook just slapped another piece of cheese on it and she brought it back! It wasn’t even melted! When we asked for the manager, the woman that came over (I see from pictures in other posts that this is the owner) she was rude and just asked if I wanted another one. Of course I did so she took it back to the kitchen. From where I was sitting I could see the interaction between her and the cook (her husband) and he was saying some not so nice things about my sandwich, yes I can read lips! She brought back the new sandwich and didn’t even say anything just placed it on the table! I can get a much better grilled cheese at Orcutt Burger at a much more reasonable price!
Our server was great, not her fault but for all the so called experience that the new owners have you would think they would understand customer service 101! We have enjoyed Jacks for many years but this Orcutt couple will not be back! In reading the other reviews it looks like we won’t be the only ones. Good luck trying to stay in business.

Haven’t been to Jacks in years… probably since the days of the original owner. Wanted to like it, but we didn’t. Soup looked canned and was lukewarm. Burger looked great but left so much to be desired in taste. Couldn’t put my finger on it but didn’t taste like 100%beef. Service was decent. Like to say I’d go back, but at those prices I can’t chance it. Hope the other food is better. Diner at best with steakhouse prices.
*online prices not accurate. It’s more that shown $$

Great place. It is under new ownership and is open again every day. They have added a red oak wood BBQ pit for dinner.
We used to frequent Jacks before. This is our first time with the new owners for breakfast. We had a tri-​tip omelette and a vegetarian omelette. Both are very good.

Went to Jacks tonight for dinner because it was under new ownership and it was amazing! I had the shrimp skewers and it came with a choice of soup or salad. I asked to try the soup which was beef barley and it was delicious. It also came with a choice of baked potato, mashed potatoes, or rice pilaf. I went with the baked potato (loaded)! The only way to go! It also came with homemade garlic bread which was so delightfully tasteful we asked for more!
There was also a pie display of each and every pie. They all looked so good I had to ask for advice (from the waitresses) on which one to get because I wanted to take a piece of every one home! I ended up choosing the apple pie which I will enjoy later tonight! I was extremely impressed with the food quality, quantity, and portion size! I will be back to try everything on the menu!

NEW OWNERS! That’s right, effective June 2015, Jack’s is owned and run by Chris &Terry, a couple w/​an impressive history in the local area’s food scene. Am I happy? Heck yes: Orcutt adds another good restaurant, and I don’t have to travel far for a great steak!
We’ve been here for dinner twice in the last week. Essentially, Chris and Terry carried forward a portion of the «Old Jack’s» dinner favorites, but also added some BBQ NY Strips, ribeyes, ribs, cod, etc., to bring some Central Coast flavor to the menu — and they’re a winner. NY Strip was cooked perfectly, had excellent marbling, and was melt-​in-​your-​mouth good. The cod was flakey and moist, and the portion was very generous. Lastly, the skewered shrimp were a good size, and grilled just enough to balance the red oak flavor w/​a juicy bite — damn good! Still havent made it in for breakfast yet, but Chris was the lead chef at a popular Orcutt breakfast place for years, so I know it’s gonna be good.
So happy to have another good restaurant in Old Town. Even better to see a well respected local couple making it happen: A+
Cheers!
RS

Excellent service and delicious food! The fish n chips was so good and the meatloaf (i dont even like meatloaf) it was amazing!!! Course the milkshakes were spot on! New owners know how it’s done!!!

Yay! New owners and its Chris the cook from Kay’s and his wife! I got home from a business trip then had to work on a Saturday and all I could think about was giving jacks a try. I am so glad we did!
The first improvement over the old jacks, salads come in a bowl. Yessss! The old salads came on a smaller plate that made it look like you were just learning to use utensils, so thank you ! And it was a great dinner salad. I kept it pretty low cal — ordered the grilled cod with veggies. Wait did I mention how heavenly it smelled when we walked in??? Yep, oak pit was going strong, thus I HAD to get the cod. It was yum may! Perfectly cooked, seasoned and the portion was perfect! I saw an amazing looking burger and club sandwich come out. They made my mouth water! We will definitely be back to try more from the menu!
Oh yeah, the only small reason I didn’t go all crazy with a five star was it was kind of slow service, it was actually not that big of a deal but our waitress kept coming by and letting us know that our food would be out soon. But you know what? They had a full house on a Saturday night, and the wait was well worth it!

Change is inevitable with most eateries and, Jack’s has changed hands again.
I knew something was different once I opened the now, slightly easier to open front door. The place mat drawings done by children hanging all over the place are gone and, the giant steel Jack’s sign hanging on the wall has been given the Earl Schieb treatment with a fresh coat of chartreuse, covering up the natural patina… er, rust.
The décor looks like it’s had a woman’s touch, with a faux hominess like you might find at a chain restaurant.
Lots of new faces. Everyone was in uniform. (Black «Jack’s» t-​shirts.)
Wait staff were courteous and attentive. I noticed the silverware were coated in either a layer of soap or hard water stains from an improper rinsing and drying. No problem, a simple napkin rub shined them up nicely.
Menu has changed a bit. No dinner items. More salads. Usual breakfast fare with a couple of new, albeit unusual choices.
Tried both breakfast and lunch items today.
The bacon is not as good as it used to be. Hash brown fail. Everything else was great.
The meatloaf sandwich still tastes just a great as ever and still quite filling.
Mashed potatoes were chunky but, that’s the way I like it anyway.
I understand that a slimmed down menu, smaller portions and, higher prices make for a greater profit margin and, I certainly wish the new management well in their endeavors. Overall, still a satisfactory dining experience. I definitely will be back.
I had to chuckle a bit when the bill check holder was set on the table and the tip pocket had a «Vote for us in the Best of Northern Santa Barbara County» flier in it.
Well, I think the new Jack’s has big shoes to fill before a «best of» is warranted.
That being said, the welcoming presence of Brian will be missed.
His genuine attentiveness and concern for his customer’s satisfaction made stopping in at Jack’s less like dining out and more like eating at friend’s home.

The kitchen staff have stopped caring. 3 times in a row I have been disappointed. The eggs of my omlette were still liquid in the middle. It’s not only nasty but a health risk. Also and I know it’s petty. is it sooo hard to make hash browns where they are not u ncoomed in the middle. As I said. They just seems to have stopped trying.
Who am I?
Someone who graduated Wolfgang Pucks culinary school and I specialize in American Breakfast.
I hope they change there ways. Even the waitress was vexed that they ignored my requests.