The former location of the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Bend is being considered by a California-based car-wash franchise as a site for possible expansion.

Surf Thru Express Car Wash has three locations already in Central Oregon, but is considering a fourth location at Robal Road Village, said Seth Ramirez, a consultant for the franchise.

According to documents on file in the city of Bend, Surf Thru pre-applied in January to see what it would entail to take over the former Cracker Barrel location on U.S. Highway 97 near Robal Lane.

“We are considering that site,” Ramirez said. “It was one of the more promising ones. We’re working with our design teams and seeing if it’s feasible at this point, doing more investigation prior to a formal submittal.”

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Studies required before construction

Before construction could begin, the car wash would need to conduct a traffic study and a drainage plan, according to the city of Bend documents. The company would demolish the existing building and erect a 144-foot-long car wash tunnel.

That stretch of highway is prime for businesses as a new Costco is planning to go in nearby. And even though that big-box store will have a tire center and a car wash, Ramirez said, Surf Thru believes there’s enough business in the area to around.

Costco could begin construction as early as this fall. Surf Thru, however, hasn’t made a decision yet.

“It’s a promising site,” Ramirez said. “It’s been vacant for some time, and this is a good way to repurpose the site. We like the area.”

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Part of developing regional commercial hub

The city sees the area as a regional commercial hub, the home of a number of large retail stores, said Ben Hemson, city of Bend economic development manager. The new Costco will be closer to U.S. Highway 20 than U.S. Highway 97, but is in the same general area.

A car wash is an allowable use in the area.

“I think you’re seeing uses come in that are more reflective of Business-97 development further south as the new north interchange pulls traffic passing through that road,” Hemson said.

Cracker Barrel vacant for about a year

Cracker Barrel closed its Bend location in March 2023, laying off about 30 people. At the time, the company said it was forced to close because it could not recover following the pandemic. The company, which operates about 660 locations in 45 states, also closed the restaurants in Beaverton and Tualatin at the same time as the Bend location.

When the store was being built in 2018, it was met with much fanfare and anticipation. About the same time that Cracker Barrel opened, so did Chick-fil-A, which is still in operation.