Truck stops and interior design makeovers don't exactly go hand in hand. But then again, Jake's Diner isn't trafficking in diesel anymore either.
So when owners Lyle and Judy Hicks wanted to change the interior design of Jake's dining room to make it more customer friendly, they called on remodeler Andy Barrow of Let's Make A Space, who redesigned the dining room into what Lyle called an "unbelievably beautiful" atmosphere.
Cabinetmaker Duane Schiedler, owner of The Wood Awakening, fashioned maple topped tables for the dining room as his part of the makeover.
The new dining room opened to the public on the last Saturday in April. At that time the public was invited to inspect the new dining room, and Lyle and Judy were led through the front door and into the new space that they hadn't seen since the project started a week earlier. When Judy opened her eyes to see what had been accomplished, she was nearly overcome with emotion.
Because of Lyle's commitment to community service he contacted Taffy Gleason, director of the Bend Community Center, to see if there was any way his remodeling project could be of help to the center in its service to the homeless of Central Oregon. As a result, profits from the Jake's makeover will be donated to the center to be used for the remodel of the center's kitchen. Both Duane and Andy said they are happy to donate their profits.
Louis Najera, a retired police officer, who has been dining at Jake's for 13 years, said the new space is "a big improvement."
Mike Schmidt has been dining at Jake's for three years. He said he likes the professional look of the makeover, adding that it is "very stylish, very clean and very warm and inviting. "
With the new dining area, Jake's is still maintaining its reputation for serving the largest portions in Central Oregon. - Robert Shotwell
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