A new drinking establishment with a classic 1970s dive bar vibe called The Moontower — a reference to the 1993 film “Dazed and Confused” — opened up in downtown Redmond in the former home of Checkers Pub.

The new owners, Nick and Leilani Olson, were already the owners of the tap house Otto’s Landing, 652 NW 7th. They recently decided to buy the old Checkers Pub, reimagine it and reopen it as The Moontower. It is located at 329 SW 6th.

The Olsons remodeled the place with a retro five bar vibe, slinging food and drinks in a gold trim and wood-paneled environment. They hoped to fill the need for a good dive bar scene downtown and are focused on standing out from others by offering a quality kitchen that is open late — and also early on weekends for breakfast and brunch.

The Moontower bar and kitchen plans to stay open until 10 p.m. during the week and until midnight on weekends. One hour before closing, the menu will simplify to just fried food.

The Moontower is open seven days a week has a pair of pool tables, video poker and slot machines in the back, and a full service kitchen with four full-time cooks. But the main pull, of course, is a bar that emphasizes cocktails but also serves up some local Central Oregon beers — including Van Henion Brewing Company out of Bend.

The Olsons had been talking about buying the bar for some time. It made sense, said Nick Olson, who was born and raised in Redmond and knows the bar and restaurant business from the inside out.

“I’ve been in this industry since I was 15,” he said. “I started dishwashing in downtown Bend when I was 15. I’ve worked as a bartender forever. I’ve just been in the business for a long time, so it was just a good fit.”

Leilani said she wanted to open a bar that was different from Otto’s Landing, which has more of a family-friendly, sports bar feel. She said she wanted to focus on creating a welcoming and comfortable environment where adults can hang out with their friends and have a good time. She also hopes the Moontower becomes that place downtown where people come and routinely run into each other.

“Redmond is still a relatively pretty small town, so you will definitely see familiar faces,” Leilani Olson said. “I’m sure that happens in Bend, but it is just a lot different (here).”

She said minors are not permitted inside, and the bar stays open until 10 p.m. to allow guests to enjoy themselves into the night.

“We have Jello shots here. We don’t do that at Otto’s,” Leilani Olson said laughing.

The bar currently hosts a pool league on Thursdays and Saturdays and offers free pool nights on Wednesdays. The Olsons also hope to start karaoke nights and to expand their weekend breakfast service to include Friday mornings at some point in the future.