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Photo by Kevin Anderson

The TVs in every booth are one new addition at J.Murphy’s, where co-owner Jerry Albert said bringing in more light and adding more character was the goal.

Two restaurants may have occupied the space before, but J.Murphy’s Irish Pub & Grille is out to prove it isn’t the same old restaurant.

J.Murphy’s opened Friday at 22730 Midland Drive in western Shawnee. With a combination of quality food, a family-friendly atmosphere and a light-hearted, Irish theme, the new restaurateurs hope customers will give the eatery a fresh look.

Owners Jerry Albert and Jerry Wofford of Hospitality Management know a thing or two about restaurants. The partners own two other restaurants: Chris and Zeke’s in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the St. George Hotel in Weston, Mo.

Albert said they were contacted about opening a third restaurant after the Shawnee space became available in March and decided to take a look at it.

“We chose it as a great location because of the growth in this area,” Albert said. “We basically wanted to be part of the growth out here; we think the development is very, very strong.”

Once they had the location, they looked into restaurants in the area to create an appropriate theme. Albert said he and his business partner try to do something different depending on the environment of the location, and they noted that the nearest Irish pub was miles away.

The name Murphy’s was something that wasn’t already used at other Kansas City-area Irish-themed bars, and the J was added because of Albert and Wofford’s first name.

To build on the Irish theme, as well as give the restaurant a different look, a lot of green was added to the walls and booths.

“One of our focuses was to brighten it up,” Albert said, referring to the former all-black interior.

So they added all-new lighting, and the atmosphere is made a bit more playful with Big 12 school banners and neon signs.

The theme continues into the menu, with items like corned beef and shepherd’s pie. But there are also several more traditional menu items one might expect of a bar and grill, as well as eight different burgers.

The restaurant will have daily lunch specials, with “express lunches” available for those who can’t stay long, as well as daily dinner specials, like all-you-can-eat tacos on Mondays.

With the 3&2 baseball fields so nearby, Albert said he hopes to see J.Murphy’s become the after-the-game hotspot and a home for local baseball teams. A private room, dubbed the Dublin Room, can be reserved, and the restaurant now has video games and 40 television sets.

Still, the bar is designed for adults, as well, with 16 draft beers and features like the 100-ounce beer towers. Each booth has its own 19-inch flat screen television, and the restaurant is set up for WiFi.

“We’re really open for everything — we want it to be a very comfortable, Shawnee environment,” Albert said.

Albert said they hope to build the restaurant’s reputation for good food, great service and a good family atmosphere.

“We think we’ve achieved all of those things just being open a few days,” he said.

The restaurant can be contacted at 825-3880.

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