“We came down and had lunch one day, and he just goes, ‘By the way, we bought this,’” Wimer said.
Named after his mother’s maiden name, Shanahan’s features bar foods such as burgers and mac and cheese as well as a full bar. Customers can play pool and shuffleboard, and on select nights the restaurant offers trivia night, industry night, ladies night with drink discounts, karaoke night, game night, pool and poker tournaments, and DJ appearances on the weekends.
After his father died, Wimer became the owner in 2016. Over the years, he has made changes to the restaurant to cultivate a more family-friendly environment. Wimer said moving toward this family-friendly atmosphere and changing customers’ perception of the business is challenging.
Wimer said he has taken steps to change opinions of the eatery, including changing the name of the restaurant to appear more welcoming to families. Wimer said he believes Shanahan’s stands out from other local bars for its family-friendly aspirations and no-smoking policy that was implemented three years ago.
Both Wimer and General Manager Brian Frye said their favorite part about running the restaurant is the close relationships they have developed with customers.
“I’ve served some of the [current customers’] parents, and now I’m on the way to serving their children,” Wimer said.
Wimer said the future for the eatery includes new food and drink menus as well as expanding to more locations possibly around the Lake Conroe area.
“The reason I love it out here and have never left is because of the relationships with people, how we are involved in people’s lives and impacting the community for the better,” Frye said.
Shanahan’s Local Bar and Eatery
18020 Hwy. 105, Montgomery
936-582-5756
www.shanahansbar.com
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily
