Along with its reputation as a great wine bar, Kurt Hargens says his restaurant, 1285 Restobar, in Old Town Florence offers a little something for everyone.
“We have everything from pasta and pizza and burgers to cioppino, halibut, clams, ahi tuna — so it’s a great mix of food. It’s a great menu for the masses,” he says.
The restaurant is the kind of place where everyone knows your name and draws a crowd of regulars, Kurt says. One steady group Kurt knows well includes employees from the Florence branch of Oregon Pacific Bank. So, when they asked him who he was banking with and whether he’d consider making a change, he didn’t have to think long or hard.
“It was kind of an easy decision. When they said, ‘What do you think about doing a little bit of business with us?’” he recalls. “I thought, well, I’m getting support from you guys, you come in and eat, and I see you around town volunteering and doing things … so I sat down and decided to make the change. Yeah, it was an easy decision, really.”
Kurt found that Oregon Pacific Bank could meet all of his business needs and then some, and he appreciates the fact that he gets the help he needs when he needs it.
“We actually have our point-of-sale system with OPB now—all the banking that we do,” he says. “It’s nice to know that on a weekend, you can call someone if you have a problem and they’re going to answer the phone. I wasn’t getting that from other people I was doing business with, in town.”
Standing by customers and providing good service is the way Kurt does business at 1285 Restobar. He expects the same from those for which he does business.
“I want people to feel important and feel good, so if I can do that with food, a little conversation, maybe a cocktail, and make their day, then that makes my day,” he says. “And that’s kind of the same feeling with Oregon Pacific. I think they really care, and it comes across when we do business with them.”
