WEST SPRINGFIELD – Although West Side’s beloved Hofbrauhaus came to a close in April, loyal customers have something new and exciting to look forward to.

Hofbrauhaus owner Joe Stevens and his wife Liz are transforming the old German and Bavarian restaurant into a smoke and game house. With a new name of “1105 Main,” named after the building’s address, the restaurant will feature briskets, ribs, wings, venison, bison and boar. No entrée will be above $25, according to Liz.

“It’s a totally different concept for either of us, so it’s very exciting but nerve-wracking,” said Liz.  “We’re definitely aiming for a younger audience. We will still appeal to everyone, it’s just a different format. It’s more casual – no more white table cloth – and much more approachable and user-friendly.”

Their son, Eric Waldman, who is currently a fulltime chef in New York, will be coming to join his father as a chef at the new restaurant. They will also be keeping a majority of the same staff.

Liz said the couple is striving to restore much of the building’s original structure and design.

“We’re trying to expose the cool stuff, repurpose it and bring back to life what was originally there,” she said. “We discovered a tile floor and it’s beautiful, so there’s a lot of the original building we’re trying to salvage and save as much as we can. We want to maintain an old feeling that’s been rejuvenated.”

She told Reminder Publications the inspiration for their new project came from a “little hole in the wall” in Venice, FL called, Snook Haven, which offers a “Back Woods Smokehouse” menu featuring ribs, chicken pulled pork, fresh fish and shrimp.

The quirky restaurant is tucked away on the banks of the Myakka River with indoor and outdoor dining options.

“You can sit outside on picnic tables and they do all kinds of yummy stuff. It’s right along the river,” said Liz. “We were like, ‘This is so nice and easy going,’ and everyone loves that kind of food. The wheel started going, and that was it – it was off to the races.”

The Stevens started their renovations around late May, and plan to finish the bulk of their renovations while they are at the Big E with their restaurants the Hofbrauhaus and Hofbrau Joe’s Clam Box.

When the Hofbrauhaus closed in April, Liz and Joe hosted a two-day tag sale to sell off the restaurant’s memorabilia. They plan to donate the famous red Hofbrauhaus sign to the Big E for preservation.

Liz said the feedback for their new concept has been positive so far.

“Everything has been great, the people who know us are real excited,” she said. “Even on Facebook, people are sending us emails. It’s really encouraging to know people are interested even when we’re doing something totally different.”

1105 Main will have a soft opening in July, followed by a hard opening in October. The new restaurant will be open all day, Thursday through Sunday.