What: Panda Express restaurant

Where: Robal Lane and U.S. Highway 97, Bend

Owner: Panda Express

General contractor: Double R Development, Bend

Size: 2,448 square feet

Price: $600,000

Details: Construction began Sept. 19 on a $600,000 Panda Express restaurant being built by general contractor Double R Development near Robal Lane and U.S. Highway 97. The building is expected to be completed in time for a Dec. 15 grand opening, said Jim Engels, project manager for Double R Development.

“Panda Express has about five different models of buildings, and this is their largest model. This one is slightly larger than the Panda Express in Redmond because of the (Bend-area) demographics and higher traffic volume,” Engels said.

The restaurant chain features a menu of Chinese cuisine available through a drive-up window or inside seating, Engels said. The one in north Bend will seat 60.

“Most fast-food restaurants focus on hamburgers, hot dogs or tacos. This is going to be a fairly upscale menu,” Engels said, with entrees combining vegetables stir-fried with shrimp, chicken or beef, with side dishes of rice, chow mein noodles or steamed vegetables rather than french fries.

In addition to the Panda Express under construction, Engels said planning is in the works for a second one on Bend’s south side.

Five to six construction workers have been employed on the north-side Panda Express most days since its groundbreaking last month, he said.

“We sold ourselves to Panda Express on the premise that we are a local contractor. We know how to work with local building officials and have experience building more than 150 fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Taco Bell,” Engels said. “With the down economy, our crews have been working mostly out of town the past two or three years, so it’s nice to finally get a job in town where we can go home every night after work.

“The city of Bend has worked with us very well in every aspect, from issuing permits and getting the project going to keeping it on track with timely inspections,” Engels said.

Double R Development, owned by Alan Rombach of Bend, was the only local contractor to bid on the project and won out over the other two bidders, which included construction companies from Portland and California, he said. Panda Express has 1,300 restaurants nationwide.

“In this economy you really have to sharpen your pencil to get jobs. Fast-food chains like Panda Express, McDonald’s and Taco Bell are recognizing the fact that they can get things done much more cost-effectively right now, so they are heavily investing in building new restaurants and remodeling existing buildings with more modern facades and interiors to attract the public,” Engels said.

— Ed Merriman, The Bulletin