Chris Miller

Stephanie Achten, Topeka resident, and Stephanie Dobler, Topeka junior, dance the night away Saturday at the newly remodeled Liquid Dance Club, 804 W. 24th St. The club, which used to be Jack Flanigans Bar and Grill, held its grand opening Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and had a line with a two-hour wait.

Lines surrounded Liquid Night Club Thursday night in the building that once housed Jack Flanigans Bar & Grill.

The new nightclub, located at 804 W. 24th St., opened Thursday. The club offers a nightclub scene that is usually found on the east and west coasts, Steve Lisman, co-owner, said. The owners of Liquid have renovated the entire bar, giving small amenities to the customers.

“We had about 600 to 700 people in and out of the bar on Thursday night alone,” said co-owner Danni Thompson. “We had to turn away 300 people.”

The owners of Liquid renovated the 9,000-square-foot bar and the 1,500-square-foot patio during the past year. A private contractor did much of the renovations. The owners did some of the labor and provided the capital.

“We wanted to give the public something they could not find around here,” Thompson said.

The nightclub will still cater to patrons between 18 and 20, as well as people of legal drinking age. The bar is split into two sections. The 18-and-older section has a dance floor, two bars and a smoking area. The 21-and-older section has a bar, dance floor and pool table.

The club’s owners also added a VIP section to the 18-and-older area where customers of legal drinking age may purchase top-shelf bottles of liquor for $100 apiece. The patrons will receive a chilled bottle, strainer, mixers and shot glasses for their purchase.

The owners placed monitors in the bathroom that show the dance floor, Thompson said.

“I thought Flanigans did decently well before,” said Jeremy Parr, Topeka senior. “This place is a lot nicer and cleaner than Flanigans.”

The bar requires a cover Thursday through Saturday. The cost is $5 without a KUID and $2 with it. With the expanded bar, Lisman said the owners had to hire more staff. Flanigans had about 20 people on staff. Liquid has 38 people on staff and the owners expect to have about 60 employees before the hiring process finishes.

The new nightclub still offers secondary services Flanigans provided. A party bus can be rented for $60 an hour and the bus is set for interior renovation in the coming months, Lisman said.

The nightclub also offers private parties and catering options. Pricing varies for parties and catering but the bar does have an on-site chef. Thompson said the bar could accommodate a party from four to 500 people.

The kitchen, which Flanigans used, may be reopened in the future, Thompson said. The owners plan to have a pizza window and an outdoor grill.

“We have really tried to give our customers all the little things,” Lisman said.