Trading Chic Eats for Family Values : Restaurants: Upscale Zuni Grill will become Saddlerock Ranch, offering meatloaf and a ‘Buckaroo’s Menu.’

Zuni Grill, Orange County restaurateur David Wilhelm’s chic Southwestern-style eatery in Irvine, is being converted to a family-style restaurant featuring “home style” entrees, lower prices and a children’s menu.

Saddlerock Ranch, to open Friday, will offers ribs, fried chicken, meatloaf and an all-you-can-eat salad bar. The “Buckaroo’s Menu” for children will include a $2.95 entree complete with a Buckaroo sundae, crayons and a place mat to color.

Zuni Grill, by contrast, was known as an adult haven, with its comfortable bar and an adventurous menu that featured tamales, chilies, braised pork and elaborate desserts.

When Zuni Grill opened in 1991, its publicist described the restaurant as a “creative blend of contemporary chic and Santa Fe sassy.” Zuni’s bill of fare delighted critics, but the eatery failed to attract families who are drawn by the heftier portions and lower prices delivered by competitors such as Claim Jumper, Olive Garden and Chevy’s.

“Zuni was out of its league in the family-oriented community of Irvine,” said John Sharpe, corporate executive chef of Santa Ana-based West Coast Restaurant Ventures, which owns Zuni and several of Southern California’s other better-known upscale restaurants, including Bistro 201 in Irvine, Diva in Costa Mesa and Topaz Cafe in Santa Ana.

Wilhelm and West Coast Restaurant Ventures parted company last year after disagreeing on the future direction of the chain’s restaurants, most of which Wilhelm played a key role in opening. Last year, Wilhelm signed on as a consultant with Taco Bell in Irvine, which wants to expand its presence in the casual dining niche.

Zuni, which is in the Crossroads shopping center in Irvine along with Target and Mervyn’s department stores, “is a good concept,” Sharpe said. “It’s just in the wrong place.”

Restaurant industry analysts said that West Coast Restaurant Ventures’ decision to close Zuni is in keeping with the growing trend toward family-style dining at restaurants that are perceived as offering better value.

“As we gradually come out of the recession, consumers who are tired of being locked in their homes are coming out, but they want values and more entertaining dining,” said Janet Lowder, a restaurant industry analyst in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Los Angeles restaurateur Wolfgang Puck took aim at value-conscious diners last fall when he opened a 150-seat restaurant at South Coast Plaza that features lower-cost entrees than his signature restaurants.

“People don’t want to see a grapefruit vinaigrette anymore,” Sharpe said. “They want food that’s readily recognizable.”

“When David (Wilhelm) was still with West Coast, we had an upscale image of the (customer) in the $1,000 suit,” he said. “But times have changed, and that’s definitely not the image that we’re trying to present with Saddlerock Ranch.”

West Coast Restaurant Ventures, best known for one-of-a-kind restaurants, hopes to open as many as 10 Saddlerock Ranch restaurants by 1997, Sharpe said. The second location, in Ventura County, is scheduled to open by early next year.