The bar and restaurant caddy-corner to Centennial Park in downtown Redmond has a new name, but one familiar to Central Oregon.

The Hideaway Redmond officially opened Sept. 9 at 507 SW 8th Street, the location previously occupied by The Dawg House II.

Owner John Nolan has owned the Victorian Cafe on NW Galveston Avenue in Bend since 2002. He also owns The Hideaway Bend, on SE Second Street.

Using his extensive experience with Bend restaurants, Nolan wanted to ensure that The Hideaway Redmond met his high standards.

“My whole mentality, since 2002 when I purchased The Vic (Victorian Cafe) has been, if I put out a product that I truly like then I think enough people will like it too,” Nolan said.  

Both Hideaways are changing preconceived ideas about sports bars and taverns. Rowdy late night beer-drinking sports fans are out. Family-friendly, sports-loving people who desire healthy food options are in.

Nolan’s original concept for the Hideaway is based on two of his passions.

“I love sports and I love good food, but it was very hard to find them both in the same location,” he said. “I wanted a comfortable place that I could not only watch a game on good screens but also hear the game.”

Brand identity challenge

Opening the Redmond location has been a challenging experience for Nolan. He said he initially ran The Dawg House largely hands off after buying it from Steve and Angela Boothroyd a couple years ago. But he decided to use his own concept after buying the property, as well, last May. So The Dawg House II became The Hideaway Redmond.

“The Dawg House was someone else’s vision and concept,” Nolan said. “Now the world seems right because it is 100 percent Hideaway,”

Changing a restaurant’s brand identity, particularly a sports bar, comes with a cost.

“I threw a bunch of money at it and made some of the big changes that I felt were needed,” Nolan said. “I really think the product is fantastic.”

Nolan believes The Hideaway Redmond’s location is ideal.

“This location is perfect because, like Hideaway Bend, it is just off the beaten path,” he said. “And with the new City Hall in its beautiful location, and the great plans by the city of Redmond to extend Centennial Park, this is going to be a fantastic location for many years.

Food freshness and quality

Nolan wanted fresh food , as opposed to just typical bar items like fried food, frozen burger patties and chips.

As a result both locations use the tag line “Where Food Network meets ESPN.”

“I wanted to provide fresh food items from scratch, healthy salads for the conscious eater and delicious house-made creations for the connoisseur,” he said. “It’s been a great combination and many have quickly tried to copy the concept.”

General manager of both Hideaways, Danielle Fuller, is very proud of the food selection and quality. It features house-ground burgers, including the half-pound “John Wayne burger.”

“All of our food is cooked to order,” she said.

Hideaway Redmond is also proud of its pizza.

“We hand-toss our dough and make our mozzarella fresh,” Fuller said.

In addition to burgers and pizza, The Hideaway Redmond offers a full menu of steaks, seafood and vegetarian options. Specials rotate on a weekly basis.

Two chefs are responsible for The Hideaway menus and food. Fuller said rotating chefs and floor staff between the two locations has helped Hideaway Redmond attain the consistency, quality, and friendliness of the Bend location.

“A lot of our Bend people are helping out here now because they have the knowledge, experience and they know the product,” she said.

Fuller understands a sports bar has to have a good beer selection.

“We have 22 beers on tap now and we always have two nitro options,” Fuller said. “We’re using a bunch of local breweries.”

Big with fans

The Hideaway Redmond is hoping to attract both sports fans and families.

“We love our sports fans, they are amazing,” Fuller said. “It’s a fun place to come and get into sports.”

“If you come in on a Dodger’s game night there’s standing room only,” she added. “Even if you’re not a fan people get into it.”

Owner Nolan, a sports fan himself, added “The energy on game days is incredible. Since our opening people in Redmond have shown us that they were craving this product.”

But Fuller is quick to add that it’s a family-friendly restaurant.

“Honestly, this restaurant is for anyone who wants to come, relax and enjoy a good, positive space,” she said. “It’s a family-friendly sports bar, we have comfy couches, kids menus and crayons too.”

The Hideaway looks to get involved with community endeavors, including an Oct. 23 bingo night to raise money for breast cancer awareness, Nolan said.

Mark and Timothy Denny, a father and son on their first visit since the space changed from The Dawg House, were happy with their menu choice.

“It’s an interesting combination, we got the Gatherer pizza,” Timothy said. “It’s all vegetarian. There’s apple, blue cheese, walnuts and spinach.”

— Contact Bill Mintiens at billmintiens@gmail.com.