Tanner's Bar & Grill

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The history of Tanner’s starts back in the 1980s, in the town of Atchison, KS.  Grandpa Tanner spent years quenching the thirsts of his friends and neighbors in this small college town where he grew up. But he had a bigger vision. With the love for his hometown in his heart (which is still there to this day), he made his way to the big city.

He envisioned a bar and grill where the service is always friendly, the food is tasty, and the beer is ice cold. It would not just be another bar and grill. It would be an approach to life - a place for good times with great friends and where you could find Grandpa himself, behind the bar, serving and entertaining guests both day and night.

The first Tanner’s Bar & Grill opened in 1985, on 87th Street, in the heart of Lenexa. Grandpa Tanner and his friends proudly built it from the ground up and, from the very beginning, Tanner’s was the place to be. People traveled from near and far to enjoy good beers with even better people, relax in a friendly atmosphere, and watch the big games on the big screens (ok, back then the screens weren’t big but it was the 80s!)

Word traveled fast about what a great place Tanner’s was to visit and it wasn’t long before people in other parts of the city wanted the famous Chicken Lips, delicious Boogas, and Jumbo Wings. So Grandpa Tanner and his friends opened a new location in Overland Park, and then another in Waldo, and then another, and another. And even though more locations were added, he never lost sight of what Tanner’s was about. The dream of being “The Friendly Purveyors of Good Times, Fine Food and The Pause That Refreshes” had become a reality. Grandpa Tanner had come to the big city and created something special.

The next time you visit a Tanner’s Bar and Grill, take a peek behind the bar. You just might see Grandpa Tanner, serving up drinks and chatting with the customers, just as he’s done for more than 35 years. Ask him about the story of the Atchison sign sometime — he’s always got time for one final final.