((L-R) Gard Eriksen, who was at the opening of the PT 90 years ago, and Bill McCormick, owner of Pine Tavern | Photo by Cascade Business News (Inset) Maren Gribskov & Martha Bechen Conklin, original owners of the Pine Tavern | Photo courtesy of Deschutes County Historical Society)
Honors Long Legacy as Pillar of the Community
Bend’s iconic Pine Tavern Restaurant is celebrating a 90-year milestone this year, both as the city’s oldest operating eatery and as a cherished downtown dining gem with a deep-rooted place in the heart of the community.
Famed for its Ponderosa Pine-framed indoor patio, the local favorite nestled along the shores of Mirror Pond has reflected Bend’s evolution and welcomed multiple generations over its illustrious history.
The current owner of such an honorable legacy is celebrated restaurateur Bill McCormick — a fellow of Irish descent with a twinkle in his eye and a wicked sense of humor — whose previous chain of McCormick & Schmick Seafood restaurants once numbered 93 locations.
He is the latest steward of a business that has changed hands remarkably few times in its 90-year tenure.
McCormick took over the reins of the Pine Tavern in 2014, as the town emerged from a period of challenging economic headwinds, but the origins of Pine Tavern stretch back to a time when Bend was still truly a somewhat rough-and-tumble timber town.
The renowned restaurant fronting Brooks Street was first founded in 1936 by two courageous and pioneering women named Maren Gribskov and Eleanor Bechen.
According to Deschutes Historical Museum records, Gribskov and Bechen had both graduated from Oregon Agricultural College before hopping in a touring car to explore the state, seeking a place to start a new restaurant venture.
They landed on Bend as an ideal opportunity due to its booming lumber economy and throngs of mill workers, together with a number of teachers joining the newly formed school district, all needing to be fed.
Armed with a bank loan during a time when the country was barely pulling itself out of the grips of the Great Depression, these women built the Pine Tavern and created a thriving business — a feat made even more remarkable by being achieved at a time when women owning and operating a prominent business was a relative rarity.
During World War II, Pine Tavern guests grew to include soldiers stationed at Camp Abbot, in what came to be known as Sunriver.
Over close to 30 years, these courageous ladies established the Pine Tavern as the best restaurant in Central Oregon, enjoyed as a gathering place for local organizations, community events and family celebrations as part of a tradition that continues to this day.
Over its life thus far, the restaurant has continually adapted to maintain its service, oftentimes with the help of the local community.
During wartime rationing, local farmers and ranchers helped supply ingredients, and in difficult winters, townspeople reportedly helped shovel snow and chop wood, while local women sold the restaurant produce, eggs and chickens.
As Bend grew and changed, so did the Pine Tavern. Some years, the restaurant favored casual family fare, and in others more of a fine dining approach.
A major renovation in the 1950s enclosed two gigantic Ponderosa Pines in the Garden Room, at the time a novel concept for the diners’ experience. Rather than removing the massive trees as the restaurant expanded, the building was designed around them, and they became one of the Pine Tavern’s signature defining features.
“Maren’s niece Shirley Ray was also a member of the Deschutes Pioneer Association and the Deschutes County Historical Society,” added Vanessa Ivey, Museum manager at Deschutes Historical Museum. “Shirley once shared with me that the name ‘Pine Tavern’ came from the pine paneling that covered the walls of the restaurant and the English pub-style hospitality Maren wanted for her customers — a place that served good food and that was warm and friendly — a gathering place for the whole community.
“Regarding the 1950s addition that included the two pine trees, a member of the family told me that at the time the restaurant was looking to expand, the kids in the family were asked if the new addition should include the pine trees.
“The kids all thought that was a great idea having trees in the room where you ate. Later, all grown up, the kids realized that might not have been the best decision!
“These are just some anecdotes that were told to me; wonderful little stories that highlight the Pine Tavern’s rich family history, and is still to this day a warm, friendly place known for its hospitality and good food.”
Gribskov and Bechen were beloved and active members of the community, with Gribskov being honored as Bend’s Citizen of the Year in 1967, before they finally decided to sell the business and retire in that same year.
The Pine Tavern was then sold to a man by the name of Dallas “Tex” Carter. After Tex, yet another strong and capable woman, Winifred Roley, owned the restaurant in the 1970’s. Being the shortest by Pine Tavern standards, her tenure lasted a little more than a decade.
Thereafter, Bert Bender & Joe Cenarrusa and Brad Hollebeck purchased the restaurant in 1982. Bender, a Chicago native, spent years honing his restaurant skills by managing and owning iconic restaurants in Idaho’s Sun Valley, and it was he who imported the famous sourdough scones and honey-butter that Pine Tavern diners continue to enjoy to this day.
That ownership era coincided with another major transformation in Bend. As the timber economy declined, tourism took over as a major economic driver, with Bend increasingly becoming the popular outdoor destination visitors recognize today.
Among many other improvements, in the 90‘s, Bender and Cenarrusa had the patio and garden redesigned, resulting in enhancing the enchanting dining experience overlooking Mirror Pond so revered by summer diners.
Tragically, in September of 1997, Cenarrusa was killed in an airplane crash, and his widow, Jean Cenarrusa carried on as a valued partner. Bender passed away peacefully and in the company of his family in June of 2009.
Fast forward to 2014, and McCormick took over the mantle and continued the Pine Tavern’s journey into the future, serving an array of American-style dishes and undertaking many key improvements himself to add to the Pine Tavern lore.
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, McCormick attended Boston University and served in the Army Reserve before moving to Northern California in the early 1960’s and working in banking and insurance brokerage.
In 1966, with a group of friends, he opened his first business, a local steakhouse and bar in San Francisco on fashionable Union Street. He said it was a vibrant time in the city during that period, with budding movie stars such as Michael Douglas stopping by, adding, “You could throw nickels in the air and dollars would come floating down.”
He went on to build, with two partners, the Refectory Steak House chain, a company that grew to 20 locations before being sold.
The partners then purchased the landmark “Jake’s Famous Crawfish” in Portland in 1971, before McCormick joined Doug Schmick to open McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant — the award-winning chain that grew over 30 years from a single location with 37 employees to 94 locations with over 8,400 employees in the U.S. and Canada.
He was also involved in a number of other sectors, including specialty seafood packaging and consulting.
In January 2011, the McCormick & Schmick chain was sold and McCormick formally moved to Bend, where he had owned a home since 1970.
But retirement plans would have to take a back seat when the opportunity to buy the Pine Tavern came up.
He said part of the reason he was attracted to the prospect was that he was a big fan himself of the restaurant since first dining there in the late ’60s. “Operating McCormick & Schmick’s became a corporate job,” he said. “Owning the Pine Tavern allowed me to enjoy the fun part of the industry. We have adapted menu items to reflect changing customer tastes and it is really gratifying to see so many returning familiar faces.”
McCormick also has an affinity for restaurants in historic locations, with 14 of his former locations being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the purchase of the Pine Tavern proved a “match made in heaven.”
“I was always attracted to the Pine Tavern because of its iconic history,” he added.
McCormick has been praised for a long history of generous civic and charitable involvement, including in Bend and California, and was honored by the Department of Veterans Affairs for his contributions and recognition of the nation’s veterans.
Each year McCormick & Schmick Seafood Restaurants provided over 17,000 complimentary meals to veterans each Veterans Day. He also served as the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand from 2005-2007.
During a recent visit to Pine Tavern, McCormick welcomed honored guest Gard Eriksen, a long-time resident of Bend, now 96 years old, who actually witnessed the original Pine Tavern opening.
Eriksen said his family actually owned a house close to the restaurant, across Wall Street in the 1930s, and his father had moved the family to Bend to pursue a career in pharmacy and co-owned a drugstore downtown for many years.
The Eriksen family has a long association with the Central Oregon area, being active members of the Central Oregon community and having owned businesses and commercial property around downtown, including the former Eriksen’s Stationery and the Eriksen Building on Wall Street.
Gard Eriksen said he and his family had many fond memories of the Pine Tavern, having enjoyed many get-togethers such as birthday celebrations at the famous landmark. McCormick also recollected another customer telling of a time when teenage girls as young as thirteen would be employed to “swat flies and fold napkins.”
Pine Tavern current General Manager Savannah Marrs said Pine Tavern is celebrating its 90th anniversary on Monday, November 16, with a special evening benefiting the Deschutes County Historical Society and Deschutes Historical Museum.
She said, “Rather than simply celebrating the restaurant, we are framing the evening as ‘Pine Tavern: 90 Years of Bend’ — a look at nine decades of Bend history, memories and community through one of downtown Bend’s longtime gathering places.
“The Historical Society is helping curate historic photographs and stories for the evening, and proceeds from the event will benefit their work preserving our local history.”
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