New restaurant bar opens in Solvang despite pandemic difficulties

SOLVANG, Calif. - Opening a business is normally a challenge, but during a global pandemic it's even more difficult.

"We just took a sad song and made it better, you know, like the Beatles said, that's what we did and now we're very blessed and we're excited to be here," said Joseph Sabato co-owner of the new Coast Range and Vaquero Bar in downtown Solvang.

When a group of friends and industry veterans decided to collaborate, the challenge wasn't running a restaurant, but turning the location into something unique during a time when doing any on-site work was restricted.

"We learned to do it ourselves and with, we call him Dad, with Dad's experience we just kind of did it," said Steve Frentz, co-owner and chef at Coast Range.

Tom Carron, or Dad depending on who is asking, is a retired contractor and carpenter.

"I just took my contract work and years of doing construction work and helped them kind of convert their ideas into their vision," Carron said.

Part of that vision was reclaiming the location by rebuilding, from the ground up.

"This was in place it just wasn't functioning, whereas we could utilize and make some good out of it," Sabato said. "So what we did is we actually went out and found some small metro racks and put them on our big metro rack and kind of put a board behind it so we could have cold glasses for our guests."

The attention to detail may be overlooked by some, but Coast Range is making it part of their brand.

"We're not going to have someone do something if we're not willing to do it ourselves, so this was really that kind of collective mindset coming in to build a restaurant from the ground up," Sabato said.

Coast Range and Vaquero Bar is located at 1635 Mission Dr. in Solvang.