Peter Chlipala’s hometown in Poland is just 30 minutes away from Martini Bombac’s hometown in the Czech Republic. Yet, the two would not meet for the first time until crossing paths at Burke and Riley’s Irish Pub in Breckenridge.
Chlipala and his family came to Colorado from Poland in the early 1970s and started a construction company in Breckenridge. His family’s company built a property on 401 S. Main St in 1978. Decades later, and Chlipala has opened his own restaurant on that property, with Bombac as a co-owner.
Chlipala and Bombac opened the bar of their establishment Molly Jack’s back in July and opened the kitchen on Oct. 28.
The two explained Molly Jack’s was an idea years in the making. Bombac has worked in the restaurant industry in Breckenridge for nearly 20 years and Chlipala also has his own ties to the industry.
Knowing that Chlipala had a property on Main Street, they had thrown around the idea of opening their own restaurant for a few years. The idea finally came into fruition this year and Molly Jack’s was able to open its doors for dining just ahead of ski season.
When it came to the establishment’s concept, Chlipala and Bombac had a pretty clear vision of what they wanted the place to look and feel like.
Bombac explained Molly Jack’s was not trying to introduce something new and different to Breckenridge. Instead, they wanted to focus on making their offerings as good as possible.
“It’s not that anything that is new, you know, we’re making burgers, but we still make a really good burger,” Bombac said.
Chlipala said their establishment is, quite literally, for everyone. The place looks to create a family friendly atmosphere, while also staying open until 2 a.m. everyday, staking a claim in Breckenridge’s nightlife scene.
While the concept was nailed down early on, coming up with a name was an entirely different problem.
The two described racking their brains for a bit before realizing the answer to the name question was right in front of them — literally directly in front of them. When thinking of a name for the spot while prepping for its opening they looked down at Bombac’s flat-coat retriever Molly and Chlipala’s yellow lab, Jack.
Bombac describes Molly as being a household name of sorts in Breckenridge as he used to frequently bring her around town.
“Molly actually knows more people than us. … Police officers would actually pull over just to say hi. She was always smiling,” Bombac said.
Molly recently died, but her legacy lives on at her owner’s new spot.
Chlipala said the spot looks to be an affordable option for families who come to Breckenridge on ski vacations.
“They’re spending tens of thousands of dollars to come to this town for lodging, on ski tickets and everything else. They should be able to come to a place that’s really clean and that has really good food, somewhere where they’re happy to be and that they feel safe with their kids,” Chlipala said.
Bombac and a friend curated the Molly Jack’s menu themselves. He said they were looking to create the type of menu you would find at a good burger joint, with some twists on classics. Burgers all cost $18.99. Appetizers range from $9.99 to $15.99 and include options such as loaded cheese fries and smoked salmon dip. The restaurant’s soups and salads range from $5.99 to $15.99. Sandwich options on the menu include miso cod and crispy chicken sandwiches and range from $14.99 to $18.99. Kids menu offerings are all $11.99.
Draft beers range from $6 to $8 and include local brews from spots including Prost Brewing Co. and HighSide Brewery. Bottle beers go for $6 or $7. Cocktails are all $15 and include classics such as aperol spritz and unique creations such as the Czech in Breck, which features Czech herbal bitters.