High school acquaintances team up as Hudson’s Grill opens inside Figueroa Mountain Brewery

By Mike Chaldu

NOTE: The Buellton Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting for Hudson’s Grill at Fig Mtn Brew on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 12 p.m. The public is invited to attend and have lunch at the new eatery.

Those who have enjoyed their quaffs at Figueroa Mountain Brewery, the Buellton establishment on Industrial Way, now can enjoy some good eats at the place, as it welcomes a new food provider: Hudson’s Grill at Fig Mtn Brew.

The announcement of the new partnership came in August: After 10 years of operating the restaurant internally, owner Jaime Dietenhofer has teamed up with Alex Uribe to revamp the restaurant offering at the location. The eatery is an American Grill concept with a full menu, open seven days per week.

The place had a soft opening on Labor Day Weekend, with Alex and his family serving up such popular items as smash burgers, Nashville chicken sandwiches, and wood-fired brick-oven pizzas.

Jamie Dietenhofer, owner of Figueroa Mountain Brewery, has expanded his patio with a large-screen TV and outdoor games, one of his attempts to make his establishment, and that of Hudson’s Grill at FIg Mtn Brew, more family-friendly. Photo by Mike Chaldu/SYVS

“I have known Alex since high school, he has done a great job with his restaurants in the valley here and we are excited to have him focus on the quality of service and food,” he said. “Running a restaurant is an intense task that requires a lot of focus. We are excited to have Alex focus on the food, while we focus on what we do best, making award-winning beer.”

Jamie Dietenhofer started Figueroa Mountain with his late father, Jim, in 2010.

“We opened the brewery but didn’t have any food here,” he said. “People wanted to stay and we would just order in from other restaurants. But we opened our kitchen in, I think, 2015, just to create an environment were people can stay.

“But we found out running a restaurant is full-time and you have to be on top of it, and I’ve watched Alex with all of his restaurants. Just seeing how diligent he is — that’s what you need have a successful restaurant, and our primary focus is beer.”

Uribe is no stranger to the restaurant business — like Dietenhofer, he started a business with his father when they opened California Tacos in Solvang. He has since expanded to locations in Buellton and San Luis Obispo. His family is involved in all of the restaurants, and each one also has a photo of his father, who passed away in 2002.

“I had talked to Jamie about opening a place in here, and we just went back and forth,” Uribe said. “I was ready to do it when he wasn’t and he was ready to do it when I wasn’t. Then this past February we were feeling it’s a good time to do it and started having meetings.”

Uribe is excited about the opportunity and looks forward to the revamp. “We are going to update and improve the menu and the experience for locals and visitors. Hudson’s Grill at Fig Mtn Brew will be an affordable location so families can eat here regularly for lunch and dinner and not break the bank while having a great experience. The food will complement the already amazing beer offerings.”

And for long-time locals, this Hudson’s Grill has no connection with the Hudson’s Grill that had a location in Santa Maria years ago. “Nah, I named it after my grandson,” Uribe said with a laugh.

With the addition of Hudson’s Grill, Dietenhofer is looking to expand the Figueroa Mountain site, in space and in clientele.

“We opened up the upstairs space with tables, and added more to the ground floor,” he said. “And the outdoor patio will have more seats and tables with a huge flat-screen TV and more scattered inside, and we’ll have games out in the patio for the kids to play.”

And that leads to Dietenhofer’s aim to make his place more of a family establishment, even if there is alcohol served.

“I really don’t want to limit my customers,” he said. “I want to have people to come in and have a drink and good food, but I want their kids to come in too, make this a family-friendly place.”

And that works in with Uribe’s menu, which he plans to keep relatively inexpensive.

“I just like to present a value menu here, where a family can come in and eat and not have to pay a lot,” he said.

Hudson’s Grill at Fig Mtn Brew, inside Figueroa Moutain Brewery, is located at 154 Industrial Way in Buellton. It is open Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can also order online at hudsonsgrillatfig.com/