By mid-July, a corner of Bend’s west side near Powder House Ski & Patio is going to look a lot different. Where a narrow lot once sat largely underused, a 7,000-square-foot building has risen — barn wood walls, 40-foot ceilings, a 50-foot belly bar and a rooftop garden perched atop repurposed shipping containers. Welcome to Base Camp, a new food truck lot and event space that Todd and Shanda McGee have spent years — and thousands of miles of road-tripping — bringing to life.
“My wife and I started thinking about doing this probably five or six years ago,” said Todd, who co-owns the adjacent Powder House ski shop with Shanda. “The property next to the Powder House is fairly skinny, so we started doing a lot of research. Every place we traveled, we stopped at every food cart lot. We talked to the owners, the vendors, and the customers — and we took thousands of pictures.”
That research produced something well beyond a casual collection of food trucks. Base Camp is being designed as a four-season community hub — a place to eat, drink, watch the big game, host a rehearsal dinner, or warm up after a day on the mountain.
A building designed from the inside out
The centerpiece of Base Camp is its main building, which the McGees essentially designed themselves before handing the plans to architects for engineering. Seven roll-up garage doors and floor-to-ceiling windows blur the line between indoors and out, while full heating and air conditioning make it a genuine year-round destination — a deliberate choice given that next-door Powder House sees its heaviest traffic in winter.
The bar — a 50-foot belly bar with 36 taps — anchors the space. The McGees plans to spotlight high-end cocktails built around premium tequilas and whiskeys, alongside a curated wine list. Multiple televisions feed into an 18-foot projection screen that can also be split into four 220-inch displays simultaneously.
“You’ll be able to watch multiple games at once,” Todd said. “And one thing I believe we’ll be the only venue in the Northwest to offer — you can pick any TV you want and listen to it on your earbuds. You could tune into a broadcast playing on a screen across the room.”
Upstairs, a 21-and-over lounge is available for private rentals and events. The space has already drawn bookings from the Nordic Club, a ski club, and several couples planning rehearsal dinners. The building holds up to 360 guests, with a 1,000-square-foot second-floor deck adding elevated outdoor viewing above the main floor. Recreational touches — pool tables, shuffleboard, darts, and pinball machines — complete the communal, camp-inspired atmosphere.
The food truck lineup
After fielding more than 60 applicants, the McGees used a hands-on screening process to narrow the field: finalists were invited to cook for the Powder House staff — a group of more than 30 people ranging in age from 20 to 65.
“Everybody had to like it,” emphasized Todd. “They’re making scratch food, scratch sauces — not just repurposing something from a deep fryer. That’s how they all got invited to the family.”
The result is a lineup of 10 trucks spanning a broad range of cuisines:
- Luckey’s Woodsman Trailside Kitchen — rustic, outdoor-inspired fare
- Let’s Roll — sushi and Asian fusion
- Jazzy Joe Coffee Co. — specialty coffee
- Chonie’s Pizza — artisan pizza
- Mundrelli’s Italian Kitchen — Italian comfort classics
- ThAiPAS Thai Street Food — Thai street food
- P53 Fresh — fresh and health-forward options
- Pho 88 — Vietnamese pho
- I Love Ceviche — fresh ceviche and Latin seafood
- El Taquero — Mexican tacos and street food
Inside the main building, two kiosks round out the offerings: a Let’s Roll Sushi counter focused on higher-end selections, and a Jazzy Joe kiosk carrying coffee, sandwiches, homemade ice cream and cookies.
Built for all seasons
Outside, Base Camp offers 5,000 square feet of open patio and walkway space, plus a 1,000-square-foot covered and heated patio — essential for keeping guests comfortable as fall gives way to winter. Fire pits, picnic tables and plush, cleanable seating throughout reflect Shanda’s insistence on both comfort and practicality.
Sustainability runs through the design as well. Turf replaces grass to conserve water, rainwater will be collected to irrigate trees and shrubs, and the building is already plumbed and ducted for solar panels when the budget allows. High-efficiency water heaters, furnaces and double-glazed sealed windows round out the energy-efficient infrastructure.
More than 100 large indoor plants — some reaching 16 feet — are being placed throughout the bar and lounge, many collected over the past year by the McGees’ daughter, Emma.
“They help absorb noise — plus they look cool,” Shanda added.
That noise consideration runs throughout. The 40-foot ceilings required serious acoustic engineering, and Todd says the team spent heavily on insulation and sound treatment. “You go to restaurants now, and the air is so loud,” he said. “We went overboard on it — on purpose.”
Base Camp has added 42 parking spaces to the existing Powder House lot, bringing the total for the combined complex to more than 100 spots — a practical consideration given the anticipated draw of a 10-truck food destination with a full bar and event space.
The project has not been without its challenges. “The construction process has not been as easy-going as we expected,” Todd acknowledged, “but we’re getting close to the end — and that’s very exciting.”
A family affair
Above all, Base Camp is a family project. Todd and Shanda, both with deep roots in Bend, have run Powder House together for 25 years. Their oldest son, Hayden, will serve as general manager of Base Camp. Every design decision — from door handles to stair rails to siding colors — was made as a group, with Powder House staff also weighing in on paint, wallpaper, and finishes.
That collaborative spirit shows up in unexpected places, including the restrooms. Each bathroom stall has its own theme, color palette, curated posters and individual speakers programmed to play distinct audio environments — birdsong in one, a waterfall in another, and yes, bad dad jokes in at least one.
“When people use the bathroom, they’ll go back to their friends and say, ‘You’ve got to check that out,'” Todd said.
A soft opening is expected in mid-July. After years of planning, thousands of photographs, and countless scouting trips, the McGees are ready to pull up a swivel chair — and invite the rest of Bend to join them.
Base Camp
Opening mid-July
311 SW Century Dr, Bend
instagram.com/basecamp_bend/
This article appears in the Source July 2, 2026.
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