Longmont restaurateur plans tiki bar in former Outback building

LONGMONT — Restaurateur Sean Gafner will open a new restaurant in the former Outback Steakhouse location on Dry Creek Drive, a press release said.

Developers David Chaknova and Stephen Tebo paid $1.2 million for the 6,250-square-foot building in May under Boulder-based Tebo Chaknova III LLC, according to  Boulder County Assessor records.

The seller, New Private Restaurant Partners LLC, is an affiliate of Tampa-based Bloomin’ Brands Inc. (Nasdaq: BLMN), which owns the Outback chain.

Gafner founded indie restaurants The Roost, Jefes and Smokin Bowls. The new eatery, scheduled for a spring opening, is Swaylo’s Tiki Restaurant & Bar.

He said in the release he’d waited “three years to find the right spot for a Tiki themed restaurant and bar.”

As the latest from Gafner, the restaurant could qualify as hip from the get-go; as a Tiki bar, it’s also retro. Tiki bars bloomed post-World War II as U.S. personnel returned from the Pacific. Tiki torches and island themes began to adorn restaurants and homes soon after.

Tikis are small wooden or stone figures representing Polynesian deities.

The release said remodeling the site from Aussie backyard barbecue to Pacific Island luau will bring an “island themed décor and a new patio designed for families and … live music” as well as “tropical food and specialty rum drink recipes.”

Chaknova and Tebo have been active as a partnership for some 20 years. The duo over the years brought several food concepts to the area, including Red Robin, Buffalo Wild Wings, Qdoba and Einstein Bagels.

These restaurants, at The Crossings, are across Dry Creek Drive from the duo’s new property.

Tebo has been developing in Boulder County for decades. His Tebo Properties hired a CEO this summer.

David Chaknova has developed in the Longmont area since the ’90s under Nova Investment Inc. in Niwot. His work includes an Office Depot and Safeway on Ken Pratt Boulevard and the former Old Chicago building.

Chaknova, and Ben Myers and James Dixon of Tebo Properties, represented Tebo Chaknova III on the 10-year lease; James Arnold of Cushman & Wakefield negotiated for Gafner.

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