Owner: Dakine Grindz LLC

General Contractor: Sieburg Building Co. LLC, Bend

Details: Another food cart in Bend is transitioning toward a freestanding restaurant, as the new cafe on NW Galveston Avenue owned by Dakine Grindz nears completion.

Dimitri Hagen, who manages one of Dakine Grindz’s two food carts, said the company has been looking to open a permanent restaurant since the spring of 2015. The company’s two food carts specialize in acai bowls — blended fruit bowls featuring acai, a South American fruit known for its health benefits — and Hawaiian-style shave ice in the summer.

Shannon Harlin, co-owner of Dakine Grindz LLC, said the cafe would likely be completed by late fall. Construction began in May. The project retained the foundation and several of the interior walls from the prior building on the site, a cottage that Harlin said was built in the 1920s.

The cafe will be approximately 750 square feet, with an interior seating area and a bar for espresso, baked goods and acai bowls. Harlin said the cafe will not serve shave ice.

Hagen added that the company will be adding a soundproof room in the back of the cafe for acai blending, which he said can get noisy.

Additionally, there will be a 483-square-foot deck around the front of the building.

Dakine Grindz is one several food carts in Bend to expand into traditional restaurants, including Spork, which makes Asian-inspired street food, and El Sancho, which specializes in tacos.

Harlin said having a physical restaurant makes it easier to appeal to customers during inclement weather.

“We just want something where we can always have open doors,” Harlin said.

While the cafe will be operated by Dakine Grindz LLC, Harlin said, the restaurant will have a different vibe from the food carts, thanks in part to its expanded menu.

“It’s going to be a lot more classy,” Harlin said.

She said the company is planning to keep at least one of the two carts. The second one will be retained to serve shave ice unless the company finds a different venue. It’s currently looking for ways to convert a smaller adjacent building on the same lot into a standalone building.

— Stephen Hamway