With Suttle Lake Lodge’s Boathouse Restaurant underwater, the Ski Inn struck by a tree and short-term hopes of a Cibelli’s Pizza or Dairy Queen dashed, eating choices in Sisters are getting mighty thin. But Hop N Bean taphouse pub is fixin’ to change that.
Just nine months old, Hop N Bean is going through growing pains going into the new year, with plans to stretch into new territory with an expanded Hop N Bean Pizza Kitchen serving up Italian items for Sisters Country folks. What began as a beer growler station coffee shop with pizza and breakfast burritos is now blossoming into a sit-down, Italian-style cafe this coming spring.
To accomplish this task, owners Mandy Strasser and Phil Haugen plan to cut a hole in the adjoining wall and push into the spot recently vacated by Sunbuster Video.
“It will still be our signature hand-crafted dishes with all fresh ingredients but with more home-cooked comfort food,” said Strasser. “We want to put in a wood-fired pizza oven and a stove with a grill to allow us to make homemade sauces and pastas and more Italian-style food than just the pizza. The current ovens we have don’t allow us to do that. It’ll add another 800 square feet to the business and greatly increase the total capacity.
”Strasser is launching a Kickstarter campaign this week, an online crowdfunding source for the expansion of the business, with a goal of raising an additional $40,000 to complete the project.
“Backers will be eligible for a variety of tiered rewards and merchandise starting at $5 all the way up to $5000 pledges to redeem for everything from hats and pint glasses, to pizza creation opportunities and table-naming rights for their family.”
The expansion will allow for more inside accommodations and an outside seating patio on the side-lawn, allowing them to transform the enterprise into a sit-down restaurant with tableside service. “We’re also looking to expand our menu to include salad selections, desserts and more wines,” Strasser explained. “With the outdoor seating alone we’ll be able to put in twelve or more tables. We’d like to be open early June if we get our Kickstarter funding and will be able to start construction by the end of April.”
Strasser and Haugen are hoping people will check out their Kickstarter site and cash in on some of the great rewards offered and help back the positive project. “We want to thank the whole community for being so supportive of us in opening a new place and helping us grow so fast.”
Hop N Bean
523 East Highway 20
541-719-1295
