New restaurant at Conklin’s delayed

The culinary team planning to open an 85-seat restaurant in the former Conklin’s Bed & Breakfast backed out of their deal this month. Juli and Ramsey Hamdan, who started the Jackalope restaurant in Bend, were planning to serve contemporary Western cuisine starting this summer but changed their minds for economic reasons.

Developer Shane Lundgren calls it “unfortunate” but said he has four other groups interested in creating a restaurant at the historic site.

“The level of ideas and the checkbooks to back them up are encouraging,” said Lundgren.

Lundgren is the president of Dutch Pacific Properties, which owns the 40-acre-plus development curving around the former Conklin’s Bed & Breakfast on the corner of Camp Polk Road and Barclay Drive. Dutch Pacific is finishing the infrastructure for a 21-lot light industrial park called Sun Ranch Business Park. The company is also planning to build 25 bungalows on the property.

Lundgren said the timing of the industrial park and bungalows is on track. He has sold 11 of the 21 lots, many of them to high-tech companies. Lundgren said the first bungalows will be completed this fall.

Lundgren said the restaurant is important to his vision for the multi-use industrial park where he expects employees to stroll along the walking path to lunch.

“It’s an amenity for all of Sun Ranch,” said Lundgren.

Lundgren plans to decide on a new team to run the restaurant this summer. Meanwhile, he will continue improving the property with a new roof and porch so that the shell of the building is ready for a new restaurant. He wants to choose a team that is respectful of the historic significance of the property and understands the connection to the Sisters community.