CASPER, Wyo. — The Bluebird at the Cheese Barrel is seeking a new restaurant liquor license and the owner is also ready to launch some other new offerings in Casper, including a new mobile “sOOp” cart and new music with a duo called “Bluesgypsies.”
The Bluebird, located at 544 S. Center St., offers breakfast, brunch and lunch and is also available for private parties, owner Jacquie Anderson said on Tuesday. Securing a restaurant liquor license in order to serve beer, wine, Bloody Marys and mimosas would complement the breakfast and brunch offerings, and revenues would help pay the bills.
“During all the COVID and stuff, I think we were the first restaurant to open, actually,” Anderson said. “So, you know, we’ve always come across a lot of obstacles, didn’t have a lot of cushion. This gives us the ability to have that cushion.”
The Bloody Marys the Bluebird plans to offer will include some pickled beans and asparagus coming from a farm the restaurant sources vegetables from in Wellington, Colorado, Anderson noted. The Bluebird is also planning to rely on Backwards Distilling Co. for things like vodka for the Bloody Marys.
“I’m going to try to keep it as local as possible,” Anderson said. “Keep it simple.”
Since opening during the pandemic, the Bluebird has worked to finalize its remodel of the old Cheese Barrel restaurant, and Anderson said she thinks the menu is now dialed in and the restaurant is getting a lot of great feedback from customers.
The Bluebird at the Cheese Barrel hosts some musical events related to ARTCORE. In addition to adding new options at music events, a restaurant liquor license will round out offerings as the Bluebird works to offer special fondue nights, multiple-course dinner nights and things like business appetizer parties, Anderson said.
“And then, of course, a lot of my friends are musicians so they want to play the acoustical sets there,” Anderson added, noting that she thinks the restaurant liquor license will help when hosting such events.
Herself a musician, Anderson is working with a friend named Jeff Streitmatter IV for the launch of her new “sOOp” cart concept. The duo are calling themselves “Bluesgypsies” and while Streitmatter performs as Jack Sparrow at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7 outside of Black Tooth Brewing, 322 S. David St., Anderson will serve food from the new “sOOp” cart.
The sOOp cart will offer cheesy cauliflower soup, clam chowder, green chili and Italian tomato bisque and will also offer the Bluebird’s jalapeño popper grilled cheese along with other grilled cheese sandwiches and gourmet grilled PB&J sandwiches, Anderson said.
Anderson plans to park the sOOp cart outside near places like David Street Station and the Natrona County Courthouse to offer another food option to people. She’s tentatively planning to be out on Fridays and Saturdays and wants to brave the cold and keep the sOOp cart going during the winter.
Anderson and Streitmatter are also planning to make use of some busking infrastructure at David Street Station to share their “Bluesgypsies” music, and may be out on Saturday.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Anderson said of the music. “Him and I both are performance artists and this is the name from my old band 27 years ago from my friend Thomas Frech, who passed away and had the music store, Platte River Music. That was our name back then, so we’re revitalizing the name.”
Both Anderson and Streitmatter sing and play keyboards and will perform a range of duets. Anderson has also spoken with a friend who dances about possibly incorporating dance into some of the Bluesgypsies performances.
The Casper City Council will consider the Bluebird’s application for a restaurant liquor license during its regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Unlike other license types such as retail and bar and grill, there is no limit on the number of restaurant liquor licenses the city can issue.
Businesses with a restaurant liquor license are required to have a dedicated dispensing area approved by the City Council restricted to people ages 18 and over.
Any restaurant that prepares meals for on-premise consumption is eligible to apply for a restaurant liquor license. Restaurants with restaurant liquor sales are required to see at least 60% of their sales come from food. More about the various liquor licenses available in Casper and the rules are available from the City of Casper.
If the City Council approves the restaurant liquor license application for the Bluebird, the city stands to receive a prorated license fee of $726, according to a memo from city staff. The memo and the Bluebird’s application can be reviewed below:
