Jackson's in Santa Rosa: What it takes to open an eatery

DIANE PETERSON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Opening a restaurant during a recession is not necessarily a bad idea, if you can swing it. Prices are lower, contractors are willing to cut deals and used equipment is more available, from restaurants that have gone out of business.

But it?s always a risky venture. Competition for the dollar is fierce, and there are no guarantees that if you build it, they will come. To call it nerve-wracking is a grand understatement.

?The secret to success is the low price point,? said chef/owner Josh Silvers of Syrah, a California-French bistro in Santa Rosa. ?People want to spend less money, but they still want to go out.?

With his wife, Regina, Silvers recently opened a second, more casual restaurant in Railroad Square named after the couple?s 5-year-old son, Jackson. The restaurant boasts a wood-fired oven, a chic bar and a mainstream menu of American classics with a twist, like Buffalo Wings with Point Reyes Blue Cheese dip.

For the past year, The Press Democrat has followed the slow but steady launch of Jackson?s, from the initial design vision through the lengthy permit and construction process, fraught with delays.

Opening day has been pushed back repeatedly. But in the past month, the project has gained momentum as Silvers made a final push to open it by Nov. 29.

Here?s the story behind the opening of one restaurant, in one town, by one chef, during an era of shrinking resources.

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Jackson?s is located at the corner of Fourth and Davis Street, in the former home of Luigi?s, Mixx and JM Rosen?s restaurants. At the turn of the century, the historic building served as the Silver Dollar Saloon, then the Silver Dollar Bakery.

So Silvers felt it was destiny when the building?s most recent landlord, Dino D?Argenzio, approached him two years ago about opening a restaurant there. D?Argenzio means silver in Italian.

At the time, the Silverses could not see how to make the project work financially. Then D?Argenzio, along with his family partners, offered to renegotiate the lease and pay for some of the structural upgrades.

Finally, Silvers and his wife, who had wanted to own a casual eatery for a long time, decided to dive in.

?At Jackson?s, we?ll have a pizza, burger and a high-end hot dog,? Silvers said. ?Santa Rosa needs that concept on this side of town.?

Because the original space was so large ? two dining rooms straddling a bar ? D?Argenzio carved out a third of the space for Cellars of Sonoma, a cooperative tasting room that opened in early 2008.

For the remaining 3,800-square-foot restaurant, the couple wrote up a business plan, sketching out the concept, menu and financial projections.

?You need to know what your average check is going to be,? Silvers explained. ?How much business do we need to generate to pay the bills and make a profit??

The couple applied for a Small Business Association loan in October 2008. Regina Silvers negotiated the lease and signed it in early November 2008.

With those hurdles out of the way, the project was off and running. D?Argenzio started demolition work on the space, from the subflooring up.

Meanwhile, Silvers started hitting auctions to buy used equipment ? he purchased a 60-quart dough mixer for $4,500 that would cost $22,000 new ? and met with a graphic designer to work on a logo.

Jackson?s logo ? featuring red letters and a flame as the apostrophe ? needed to telegraph their concept for the eatery as having a homey ambiance during the day and a sensual atmosphere at night. It would need to blend its historical roots with a clean, contemporary style.

Silvers hired Neva Freeman of Neva B Interior Design in Santa Rosa to help plan the look of the space, which had considerable design challenges.

?The space is long and linear,? Freeman said. ?How do you soften the space and get rid of the bowling alley and respect the fact that it is historical??

The designer decided to create curves, from a rounded soffit above the door to the circular shape of the bar.

The front of the space became a lounge, with high bistro tables by the windows, couches and low tables by the bar. With the addition of an upstairs mezzanine, the restaurant would be able to seat 89.

Freeman found inspiration for the restaurant?s design in some glass light fixtures, which resemble the burnt sugar on top of creme brulee.

?I?ll often find one element, then you build it from there,? she said. ?The bar top is made from oyster shells and recycled beer bottles.?

Silvers knew he wanted the massive, wood-fired oven to be bright red. So he decided to paint the ceiling and the back wall ?caliente red,? complemented by a ?chocolate sundae brown? on the walls.

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By Christmas of 2008, the restaurant?s building plans had been approved by the Sonoma County Health Department and were sent off to the City of Santa Rosa, which had to approve the electrical, plumbing and air systems.

At this point, the plans were fine-tuned. For example, the rear staircase had to be widened so that people could go up and down at the same time. After the final designs were approved, Silvers had to find a contractor.

?I?m looking for a personality,? Silvers said in January 2008. ?I want someone I can relate to and has a good price. Do they understand what restaurants are about??

It took about a month for estimates to come in from contractors. Silvers chose Dave Bailey Construction of Santa Rosa because of his attention to detail. The restaurant space, which had been sitting empty for a few years, had to be completely rebuilt, from the grease trap under the kitchen floor to the ceiling.

?Basically, it?s a new building from the ground up,? said D?Argenzio, who put in new plumbing, heating and air, walk-in fridge, oven hood, bathrooms and flooring.

The couple?s SBA loan was finally approved in July. At that point, Silvers was able to order his equipment: the griddle, grill, stove and deep fryers for the kitchen; the bar equipment and stools; the furniture, glassware and plates; and the $20,000 pizza oven made by Earthstone of Los Angeles. ?To get a loan in this economic climate, we?re more than happy,? Silvers said. ?We feel really fortunate.?

By July, Silvers had also cut a deal with chef/owner Jack Mitchell of Sassafras restaurant in Santa Rosa to buy his liquor license for $60,000, about $20,000 less than the going rate.

Meanwhile, general manager Ken Goldfine began planning for how he would hire and train the staff at Jackson?s.

?The hardest thing will be to create Jackson?s own culture,? Goldfine said. ?It?s going to be a much more casual restaurant, but the level of service has to be the same.?

To head up the kitchen and bar, Silvers was able to attract veteran talent: chef Les Goodman, formerly of Dry Creek Kitchen; sous chef and baker Scott Noll, formerly of Barndiva; and bar manager Ryan Horen, formerly of Stark?s Steakhouse.

Some people ? heck, even some of his best friends ? have told Silvers he is crazy for opening a second restaurant. And along the way, he has admitted to ?freaking out? from time to time.

With 10 days to go before opening day, Silvers still had a long ways to go before he could start generating any income from the new venture.

The liquor license had not arrived, holding up the ordering of the alcohol; the final building inspection was pending; and some furniture and equipment had not yet arrived.

?This is where the brakes come off and the train is bearing down at me. People have a romanticized vision of what it?s about,? he said.

?Eighty percent of restaurants fail in the first two years.?

You can reach Staff Writer Diane Peterson at 521-5287 or

diane.peterson@pressdemocart.com

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