Beloved bar and grill Bob’s Off The Square changes ownership

Sometimes when a new business comes along, it’s as if something magical happens.

It just takes off and becomes a hit overnight.

That’s how it was when seven friends, led by Bob Stevens, opened Bob’s Off The Square Bar & Grille in late 2018.

And that’s how new owners Lauren Thorne and Elizabeth Wyss intend for it to remain.

Bob’s Off The Square officially changed hands last week, but it will still be called by its original name. And don’t think that everyone there won’t still know yours.

The friendliness of the place is one of the reasons why Thorne and Wyss have been among Bob’s Off The Square’s biggest fans.

“We cannot walk in this building and not see 15 people we know from town. It’s like the Cheers of Granbury,” said Wyss, referring to the bar featured in the hit 1980’s NBC sitcom by the same name.

Located at 106 N. Lambert St. to the side of Babe’s Chicken Dinner House, Bob’s, with its black and white façade, gives off both a man cave vibe and a backyard feel. The bar, with a TV, is in a room the size of a den and the seating area out back, where there is a stage for live entertainment, is like hanging out in a backyard. (There is also outdoor seating at the front entrance.)

One might think that the cramped quarters could be a turn-off for some, but it seems to have only reinforced a view that Bob’s Off The Square is the cool place to be and you’re lucky if you can get in.

When Stevens and his buddies partnered to recreate the saloon on his own 50-acre property off Highway 51 North where they liked to hang out, they figured it would be a place to lure bored men sitting on benches around the square while their wives shopped. Stevens even joked that he might hand out wristbands for the wives to use in reclaiming their husbands.

But right from the start Bob’s attracted everybody — locals, weekend tourists, people who weren’t really tourists but drove from the farthest reaches of the Metroplex, and even local elected officials. Granbury City Council members have been known to stroll across the street to Bob’s after a council meeting.

“It blew up on us,” co-owner Bucky Wood said of the bar’s magnetic appeal. “From day one, it took off.”

Bob’s cool-place-to-be vibe even infiltrated the Texas country music scene. The establishment’s live entertainment grew to include some well-known performers, including the late Collie Rae Harris, Red Shahan, Koe Wetzel, Prophets and Outlaws, and Cleto Cordero of Flatland Calvary. Blues band BRay and the Humans frequently host karaoke night.

While the success of Bob’s was exciting for its owners, it was also a lot of work for those who had full-time jobs. Over time, some, including Stevens himself, wanted out.

Meanwhile, Thorne and Wyss, frequent flyers at Bob’s, would joke that they should buy the place. After all, they were there so often.

When Wyss made that comment to Wood during a July birthday celebration at Bob’s for Thorne, Wood phoned later to ask if the women were serious.

Once the women realized that Bob’s owners were interested in selling, they realized they really wanted to buy the popular bar.

The friends have backgrounds well suited for what they are taking on.

Thorne, who has a law degree and is well versed on contracts, grew up in a family that worked in the movie theater industry at a time when movie theatres were transitioning into family entertainment centers.

Wyss practically grew up in a restaurant. She has family members who own and operate eateries.

The women met through their school-age children, and both remember a time just a few short years ago when there was hardly anything to do on and around the square after about 6 p.m.

Wyss and her husband Scott have two sons, Reed and Rhett.

Thorne and her husband Tim have three kids: Brendon, Griffin and Elly.

The couples became good friends and often hung out together at Bob’s, where they got to know Wood.

Thorne and Wyss affectionately refer to Wood as “Uncle Bucky,” and say that he is the mascot for Bob’s.

Wood now lives in Dallas because his wife Amy accepted a job with the Highland Park Independent School District. However, the couple still owns a place here, he said, and he will remain involved with Bob’s by working the live music side of things.

Wood will also handle The Bobber, pontoon boat cruises that can be booked through the Bob’s Off The Square website. The cruises will operate separately from the bar and grill.

Thorne and Wyss said that Bob’s will continue to offer the kind of “bar food” it is known for: stick-to-your-ribs offerings such as armadillo eggs, chili, Philly cheesesteaks and burgers. But they have a goal of growing Bob’s lunch business with lighter fare, and Wyss hopes at some point to include seasonal menu items.

Wood said that the original owners of Bob’s wouldn’t have sold the business to just anyone. He indicated that Thorne and Wyss are just the right partners to carry on the magic that began through friendship.

“They’re going to take it to another level,” he said.

Days and hours for Bob’s Off The Square are: Sunday-Monday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-midnight; and Saturday, 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

Take-out orders can be placed by calling 682-936-2540. A menu and a calendar can be viewed at bobsgranbury.com.