Hardtails open in Sisters

Steve Macey isn't trying to reinvent the wheel with Hardtails Bar & Grill; he's just hoping to balance it out and keep it rolling.

Macey and his wife Darcy are the new owners of Hardtails, occupying the same space vacated last December by Scoots Bar & Grill. While some of it may seem familiar, there are many changes taking place that will boost its image and appeal.

"I really want locals to feel welcome and comfortable here and know this is their place," he said. "Giving customers great food and service at reasonable prices is my goal. Before I opened up I talked to a lot of people in town and asked them what they wanted. First thing they said was 'let the kids come back in' and we did. So Hardtails is now family friendly. Scoots was 21 and over only, and so we changed all the signs. Kids are allowed in the restaurant area, game rooms and the outside Smokehouse Corral, anywhere but at the bar itself."

Macey is a native Oregonian who grew up in southwestern Washington and now resides in Bend. He and his wife were looking for a spot to open a business and were fortunate enough to find their new location in Sisters available.

"I was semi-retired and had experience in the restaurant business and had always wanted to own my own bar," he said.

To freshen up the interior, Hardtails brought in two regulation-size pool tables, electronic dart boards, a hi-tech Internet juke box and built a new live-music stage in the rear. There is also karaoke every Wednesday and Saturday nights as well as live entertainment every other weekend. Video slot and poker machines are returning after the paperwork and contracts are signed with the state in upcoming months.

The menu is a fusion of traditional pub fare and hearty steak favorites. For lunch, Hardtails wants to be known for their Buffalo Chili and huge burgers, all themed for famous motorcycle engines like the Shovelhead, Panhead, Knucklehead and the Fat Boy.

Dinners feature an 8 oz. sirloin, 12 oz. New York strip or grilled barbecue chicken breast starting at $12.95. Food choices are constantly changing and Macey is open to suggestions for future dishes.

For Italian cuisine lovers, Hardtails presents "Spaghetti and Meatball Night" every Friday evening at 5 p.m. with guest chef Ray Tramondo, formerly of Tramondo's Trattoria, which operated for years at the same site.

"Ray will be coming in and cooking up his classic spaghetti dinner with a house salad, garlic bread and a glass of Chianti," Macey said.

This year's Rodeo weekend, Hardtails is bringing in a mechanical bull on Friday only, all day and night.

"We're tenting off the whole parking lot in a special 40-by-60-foot events tent," he said. "It'll be $3 a ride and kids welcome until 9 p.m., then we'll have a late-night Buck-Off Contest with cash prizes for the cowboys and the ladies. I'm also getting a killer band from Portland, Lock, Stock and Barrel, playing Friday and Saturday night. It's gonna be a wild weekend."

Hardtails is also hosting a locals after-rodeo party as a special thank you and congratulations to the Sisters community.

Co-owner Darcy Macey has already met many locals and is getting to know them by first name.

"It's been a real positive experience coming to Sisters," she said. "When the outside opens up it'll be fun for parents to come in with their kids. We're looking forward to a great summer."

Hardtails is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to close, and is located at 175 N. Larch St. For more information call 541-549-6114.