The new owners of Club Blu Bair in Easton have taken a very personal interest is making the supper club the best it can be. Not only did they get busy and do a great deal of the remodeling work to get the restaurant ready to open, they also take their turns working at the eating establishment. Pictured above, left to right, are five of the eight owners of Club Blu Bair. They are Jenny Simon, Sheila Meyer, CJ Meyer, Mike Swehla and Jill Swehla. The three owners missing from the photo are Bruce Sellers, Becky Sellers and Matt Simon. The new owners completed the sale on Oct. 1 and opened by the end of that month.

Two years ago, in October of 2022, Blu Bair, a bar in Delavan, opened its doors for business. On Oct. 30 of this year, a second establishment bearing the Blu Bair name began operating when Club Blu Bair opened five and a half miles to the east, in the city of Easton.

“The original Blu Bair is a bar where we serve pizza and fried food,” Mike Swehla, one of the owners, says. “Club Blu Bair in Easton is more of a traditional supper club.”

Swehla, his wife Jill, and three other couples purchased the former Club 569 in Easton from Paul and Anne Geise of Wells.

“Anne and I had been talking for awhile and eventually worked out an agreement. We took over ownership on Oct. 1,” Swehla comments. “In less than a month, we were ready to open again.”

In the approximately 30 days from the time the purchase was finalized until the supper club opened again, Club Blu Bair went through a major remodeling project.

“We replaced the bar and remodeled the bar area so that it is all on one level,” Swehla explains. “We also installed new flooring and gave the place a fresh coat of paint.”

The owners, who in addition to the Swehlas include CJ and Sheila Meyer, Bruce and Becky Sellers and Matt and Jen Simon, did a lot of the work themselves.

“We also utilized a number of local contractors to help us get the place ready,” Swehla adds. “They were great to work with and did a real nice job.”

The owners were able to incorporate part of the town’s history into the remodeled bar area.

“The tin that you can see on the lower part of the bar actually came from one of the old elevators that used to operate in town,” Swehla says. “The bar surface itself is also new.”

Asked for his motivation in pursuing the purchase of the supper club, Swehla, who used to operate a trucking business in Easton, offers a couple of reasons.

“I really wanted to get back to Easton and be part of the experience and fun happening on Main Street with Margaret’s Pub and Allenz,” he comments. “Also, our customers have been so great in Delavan and I thought we would give them another option for someplace to go out with friends for a relaxing evening with a good meal.”

Club Blu Bair is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 4-10 p.m. with a menu that features burgers, wraps, sandwiches and appetizers.

“On Friday and Saturday we add the dinner menu and a soup and salad bar,” Swehla says. “We open at 4 p.m. and close at 1 a.m. The kitchen is open until 8 p.m. during the week and until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.”

Club Blu Bair is also open on Sundays from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m.

“We serve breakfast until 1 p.m.,” Swehla notes. “After that, people can order off of our regular dinner menu.”

One of the things Swehla is excited about is the quality and freshness of the product Club Blu Bair is able to provide.

“All of our meat is freshly cut by the Country Butcher Shop which is just a block to the east of us,” Swehla shares. “That includes the hamburger patties as well as the steaks.”

On the weekends, there may be 9-10 employees working at the supper club in addition to a couple of owners.

“All of the owners work here,” Swehla remarks. “We take turns. One week, a set of owners will be in charge. The next week they will work as helpers and then they are off for two weeks.”

Club Blu Bair was also able to keep about all of the employees from Club 569 in addition to adding some new employees.

“We have some people who work both in Delavan and in Easton,” Swehla says. “There are usually three in the kitchen, a dishwasher, three servers and two bartenders plus whichever owners were scheduled to be working.”

In addition to being open for the public, Club Blu Bair is also staying busy hosting Christmas parties, business events and other gatherings for special occasions.

One can’t help but be amazed that the town of Easton, with a population of less than 200 people, is such a hub of activity.

“It is pretty unique to have a town of Easton’s size have three bars/eating places on their Main Street,” Swehla concludes. “I just enjoy visiting with everyone who comes in and we are so thankful and appreciative for the support our customers have been giving us.”