The Office Bar and Grill co-owner Karen Kanelos has a quick last minute meeting with some of the serving staff before the first day of business of their new restaurant on Monday, May 1, in central Casper. Karen and her husband Jim Kanelos have reopened their restraurant with a new name and concept after an extensive remodel.
A new chapter for restaurateurs Karen and Jim Kanelos started on Monday morning when The Office Bar and Grill at 520 South Ash St. opened for business after an extensive remodel.
The new concept replaces the previous version, which split the family-friendly Karen and Jim’s Restaurant and the Movie Star Lounge within the same building.
The old business closed after New Year’s Eve for a complete gut rehab, which also included installing windows in the formally vault-like building as well as a new patio.
The 21 and older bar and grill is intended to position the restaurant for a changing downtown according to Jim Kanelos, who anticipates more professional clientele during the day and more people looking for entertainment at night.
Co-owner Karen Kanelos talks with customers while pouring a beverage shortly after opening at the new The Office Bar and Grill on Monday, May 1, in central Casper. Karen and her husband Jim Kanelos have completely overhauled their restaurant formally known as Karen and Jim’s Movie Star Lounge into a modern bar and grill for adult customers. /Dan CepedaServer Cheryll Hinton places menues on tables shortly before opening day of the new The Office Bar and Grill on Monday, May 1, in central Casper. /Dan CepedaServer Malissa Greenwood enters an order into the system shortly after opening at the new The Office Bar and Grill on Monday, May 1, in central Casper. /Dan CepedaThe Office Bar and Grill co-owner Jim Kanelos talks with his father Jim Kanelos shortly after opening on Monday, May 1, in Casper. The senior Jim Kanelos ran a popular restraurant in downtown Casper called Gemini, which is where his son learned the trade. /Dan CepedaOwners Jim and Karen Kanelos talk at the bar during the first hour of opening their refurbished restraurant The Office Bar and Grill on Monday, May 1, in central Casper. The two first opened Karen and Jim’s on CY and Poplar in the 90s before moving to the current location in 2004. The two closed Karen and Jim’s on New Year’s Eve before undertaking a complete gut rehab of the building. /Dan Cepeda
