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Staff say the bar has built a loyal following by staying true to its no-frills roots.
Not much has changed at the Jackalope Lounge since it opened on Aug. 18, 2006. That’s exactly why people keep coming back.
When four bartenders founded the Jackalope — or as employees call it, “the Lope” — it was meant to be a no-frills establishment for service industry workers to gather for a post-shift drink and bite. Twenty years later, that ethos is alive and well inside the small two-story building at 453 Willamette St. Employees from The Gordon and other nearby businesses stop by after work or for lunch; experienced bartenders sling drinks, greeting regulars by name; and the kitchen, which doesn’t serve a single dish over $20, doesn’t close until 2 a.m.
The Jackalope, which sits across from the Amtrak train station, has built a loyal customer base simply by staying consistent, bar management says.
“What we’ve learned over the years is that people want to come to a place where they know what to expect,” said owner Claire Hutton, who also owns McShanes Bar & Grill and The Flying Squirrel Tavern.
Desi Skinner, the bar’s general manager, has worked there since it opened and became the manager in 2021. She said changes at the Jackalope have mostly been limited to maintenance (the building was built in 1910), the addition of more televisions and the discontinuation of Guitar Hero, the popular 2000s music video game.
For entertainment, the bar has remained loyal to the classics: pool, darts, a handful of lottery games and, for those who prefer to sit outside, picnic tables lining the sidewalk.
“People just really like that you can come in and relax,” Skinner said. “It’s not a high-pressure bar. There’s not like crazy loud music playing all the time.”
The bar serves an unusual mix of regulars and travelers due to its proximity to the train station. Skinner recalled a couple of Hoosiers who came to town in October for the Indiana football team’s match-up against Oregon; after they went home, they sent the bar a letter and some Indiana football merch.
“Bartenders take time to talk to people and get to know them,” Skinner said.
The bar prides itself on its staff, a tight-knit team of about 15 that Skinner and Hutton called a family and an internal support system.
Skinner grew emotional as she shared that one of Jackalope’s longtime cooks, Robert Mosley, died unexpectedly in June. He was a “sweetheart” known for his distinctive giggle, elite R&B playlists and for bringing “so much joy and laughter” to everyone who knew him, Hutton said.
“We think about him a lot, and we miss him,” Skinner said, wiping away tears. “It was not expected, so it was kind of a gut punch.”
In a statement to Lookout, Mosley’s niece Mia Hatfield said Robert was a “wonderful, caring and sweet man” who loved cooking for his customers and who passed too soon. Another bar owner, Jeremy Scriber, organized a GoFundMe for Robert’s family that has raised more than $5,000, as of Aug. 18.
The Jackalope’s kitchen crew has been essential to the bar’s success, management said. The menu features classic pub foods with a southwestern influence inspired by the bar’s namesake and mascot, the Jackalope, a mythical jackrabbit-antelope hybrid. (When business partners were trying to brainstorm a name for the bar, they were inspired by a jackalope affixed to the mantle in their friend’s living room, Hutton said.)
“We just really liked the idea of this, like, you know, cryptic animal,” Skinner said. “It just stuck.”
The pub’s late-night eats remain particularly popular, Hutton said.
“A lot of the late-night offerings in Eugene have kind of disappeared in terms of, maybe people reduce what they’re serving on their menu after midnight or something, and we’ve just always tried to keep that full menu available,” Hutton said.
The business has grown “immensely” over the last 20 years, Hutton said. Like many restaurants, the Jackalope struggled during the pandemic, when it laid off staff members and eventually expanded its outdoor patio space to accommodate social distancing, but it ultimately weathered the storm and is now “busier than ever,” she said.
The Jackalope held a 20th anniversary party earlier this month, complete with balloons, a photo booth set-up and all-day brisket special.
“I just want to thank the community and our vendors and our employees and everybody for supporting us,” Hutton said. “We’re so grateful, and we just feel really lucky.”
