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    Svilars’ plans to reopen April 7th

    (Hudson, WY) – Svilars’ Bar and Restaurant, the historic steakhouse which has been operated by the Svilar family in Hudson for the past 80 years, is set to reopen on April 7th, 2021 – by reservation only. Dining hours are 5 – 9 pm, Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 5 – 9:30 pm, Friday and Saturdays, with reservations required until April 23rd.

    Nick Bebout, President of Svilar, Inc., which owns the historic restaurant, said that the family restaurant was closed in October 2020, because of pandemic restrictions and because Reddi Sue Homec, who has been the manager since 1995, wanted to retire.

    Homec is the daughter of Big Red Svilar, one of the 8 Svilar children, and she took over operations after the death of Sophia Svilar, third oldest of the Svilar children.

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    Bebout stated that “Reddi Sue stepped up, and has done an incredible job for the past 25 years. But, with no other family members able to take on the job of management, we turned to our loyal and competent employees. We are excited to report that we have hired Blaine Stafford from Riverton as our new manager, so Svilars’ Restaurant and Bar can reopen”.

    Stafford is a long-time employee of Svilars, and as the new manager, with oversight by Homec, she has been busy preparing the business for re-opening.

    “Mama Svilar” opened Svilars’ restaurant in the 1920’s, serving fried chicken and steaks were added to the menu in the late-1950s, according to Dessie Svilar Bebout.

    Mrs. Bebout, who is 100 years old and the only living child of Mama and Papa Svilar, has vivid memories of growing up with this family business, and many others.

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    “My father tried so many different things…in addition to the bar and restaurant, we had a creamery, an ice house, the power company for Hudson, called “Svilar Light & Power,” cigar production operations, (“Hudson Eagle” was the name of the cigar), a farm, a service station, an ice cream fountain, a clothing store, and a bakery.”

    And of course, the children were engaged in all parts of the operations.

    “I remember rolling cigars, and watching my brothers help my father load huge blocks of ice from the river to our ice house”, said Mrs. Bebout. “The power company was sold to Pacific Power in 1988, and all others were eventually shut down, so Svilars’ Bar and Restaurant is the lasting legacy of our family”.

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    Dan Svilar and Bessie Sevanovich emigrated from Yugoslavia in approximately 1911 and 1912, were married in 1915, and made Hudson their home with their children Nick, Ruby, Sophia, Dessie, Red, Eli, Kathryn, and Daniel Paul.

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