Nestled in the heart of Central Oregon you will find the this quaint and historic restaurant formerly known as Tumalo Feed Company. Back when I was a kid it was the only restaurant in town that would sing to you on your birthday and up until a few years ago it was the only steakhouse in Central Oregon. It had been getting run down since the crash of 2008 and was in serious need of TLC when we swooped in and took over to refurbish the building as well as update business operation standards and rebrand. The business has some seriously cool history and I was on a mission to bring it back to its original glory while also preserving the experience of the restaurant for many more generations to come, as the spirit of the place was very close to my heart. The building was constructed in the 60s by a very eccentric family who shipped fixtures and furniture from all over Europe to create an early 1800s country western saloon in an area known as Tumalo, which back then was truly in the middle of nowhere. Stories from the sisters who, are in their 80s now, were waitresses there in their early 20s said John Wayne would come and eat lunch while shooting old western movies in the area. We put over $100K in refurbishments in however left the duct tape on the booths and scratches in the bar as this place is home to many old timer locals who didn't want it to change at all however it needed to appeal to tourists and we successfully brought it to that level. In addition to the renovations I redesigned the logo and branding materials, website, implemented and programed a new point of sale system, designed a all new bar menu, developed over 15 unique cocktails utilizing homemade liquor infusions, designed new menu formats, implemented a a designed a logistics system of infrastructure for both front and back of the house operations from scratch, and built and restructured all the digital files needed to run the restaurant. When running the restaurant I played the role of front house manager/hostess most nights but also conducted all the artist bookings, as we had a small stage in the bar, and ran all digital needs for the restaurant including social media, POS updates, and online reservation management. The restaurant held 200 seats in the dining area and patio and 30 more in the bar, most Saturdays we were booked out and a hour wait time. It was a wonderful chapter and I loved feeding and entertaining the humble community of Tumalo, which to me felt like one of the last standing original Central Oregon businesses that reminded me of growing up in the area.
2018-2021 | Rennovations - The outside of the building repainted with new color scheme (the building was pastel yellow before). New logo and branding was applied with hand-painted signage by local artists Vivi Design Co. New tables made out of local ponderosa pine trees and wrought iron bases constructed by local artisan Hardenbrook Hardwoods. New menu design and content (we kept the classics and added more upscale cuisine to compliment local favorites). Recovered entry way seating with new velvet fabric. Added a lighting system to the stage for live music. All new cocktail menu with in house infused liquors. New dishes and bar glasses. New carpet installed. Overall visual cleanup (there was a-lot of items on the walls with no intent, everything was analyzed and redecorated with intent utilizing existing decor or new decor picked up from local antique stores.
2018-2021 | Rebranding - New colors chosen as a scheme for the restaurant. New logo design used on all printed materials for restaurant, digital advertising and website/social media, merchandise and new hand painted signs and overall exterior paint.
2018-2021 | Social media account creation and management, website creation and management.
2018-2021 | Menu and Logistics - Redesigned menu content and look in collaboration with chefs in house. Logistical clipboard materials created from scratch to ensure smooth training and nightly operation. Floor flow mapping while designing new table structure.
2018 | Tumalo Feed Company - Original condition. These photos were taken the day we transferred ownership.