After more than 40 years in business on Main Street in Hermiston, The Pheasant is renovating.

Owner Cherie McLeod decided to replace the original bar that her parents installed in 1976 and update the business.

“It was time for a change,” she said. “We needed something new. Our customers needed something new.”

The construction is almost complete, and McLeod said a grand reopening is planned Oct. 30-31 for the cafe and lounge under its new name and image: The Pheasant Blue Collar Bar & Grill.

The business will still serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and feature a bar and a banquet room, but the menu, the atmosphere and the events are being upgraded, she said.

“It’s going to be somewhere you want to go hang out with your friends and just go relax,” she said. “We’re going to have a better appetizer menu. We’ve got 12 beers on tap, so we’ll have a big variety of the different beers. We’re going to change the restaurant food up a little bit. It’s still homestyle cooking. Everything is done from scratch. It’s good food. We’re not fast food.”

In addition to a larger beer selection, the bar will feature a new rustic look. The banquet room has also been upgraded to host sporting and other events.

Event coordinator Ralph Ramirez said two large projection screens have been added with another coming soon. The business now uses them to show UFC fights, boxing matches, other sporting events and music videos.

He said, in addition to banquets and parties, the room also hosts poker on Monday nights, a game night for those 21 and older on Wednesday nights, karaoke on Thursday nights and live or DJ music on Friday and Saturday nights.

“We wanted to make it more appealing to people,” he said. “We changed a lot of the specials. We changed a lot of the ethic. You have to keep up with the times, of course. We fell a little bit behind, and now we’re catching up.”

The banquet room will feature two dartboards and two resurfaced pool tables, as well as other games. New sound and lighting equipment will also improve the atmosphere on the dance floor, Ramirez said.

“We’re trying to build something here so it’s just going to grow and grow and grow,” he said. “Hermiston is a little behind the times when it comes to a few things. This is a perfect opportunity to jump in right now and get ahead of the game and have a good place for people to hang out and relax.”

A grand reopening for The Pheasant featuring prizes and specials is planned for Oct. 30 and Oct. 31 at the business in downtown Hermiston, 149 E. Main St.

The bar opens at 7 a.m. every day and, if there are patrons, it stays open until 2 p.m., but it closes at 10 p.m. Sundays.

The restaurant is open from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

The banquet room hosts poker Monday nights, game night on Wednesdays, karaoke Thursday nights and live or DJ music Friday and Saturday nights.

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