Cassie’s, one of Cody’s oldest and most historic restaurants, has a new lease on life. A coalition of Cody residents has united to take over and revitalize the storied steakhouse they love so well.
Five Cody business owners have signed a long-term lease to operate the historic restaurant and live music & dancing venue, which has been sitting on a 7-acre parcel of land alongside U.S. Highway 14 for almost a century. The property has changed hands several times in the last few years and might have been lost forever, but the new owners are determined to see the structure into the next century.
“Our plan is to focus on what Cassie’s was, from the music to the dancing, to the steak,” said Mike Jones, one of the new co-owners. “Everyone in Cody has a good memory at Cassie’s, and we want to bring that back for more memories.”
Sordid Supper Club
Cassie Waters, a female entrepreneur from Cody’s early history, opened Cassie’s Supper Club in 1933. It was specifically built outside the city limits so Waters could operate her new business as a restaurant and brothel, which was her old business.
The structure itself is at least five historic buildings that were dismantled and rebuilt into one large open space with a saloon, a dance floor, and secluded areas where women “offered their wares” to whoever sought them out.
“One area was divided off into six different rooms with curtains,” Cody historian Bob Richard told Cowboy State Daily in May 2025. “That was still here in the 1950s.”
Despite being a house of ill repute, with the original prostitution permit still framed on the wall, Cassie’s became one of the most famous restaurants in Wyoming.
In its heyday, it was a popular venue for dancing and live music and regularly appeared on lists of the nation’s best Western and historic steakhouses.
Unfortunately, the last time Cassie’s was in the news was for another sordid incident involving its previous owners.
In June 2024, co-owner Randel Hooper was arrested and charged with a felony after allegedly kicking a Cody police officer in the head during an incident that started with a verbal altercation, including death threats, with a customer at Cassie’s.
His wife and fellow co-owner, Courtney Hooper, was also arrested and charged with three misdemeanors related to the incident.
The Hoopers were both sentenced to six months of probation as part of a plea agreement earlier this year. Before that, they relinquished ownership of Cassie’s in September 2024, and the restaurant has been closed ever since.
Since the closure, the Cody community has been concerned that Cassie’s would become a casualty of development. The real estate value of the land would be more attractive to most developers, who would probably demolish the structure to make use of the lot.
That didn’t sit well with Jones and his business partners, so they decided to do something about it.
“It was sad to see the way it ended and the impact it had in our community,” Jones said. “We don’t want to focus on what happened over the last couple of years, but we do want to focus on its history because that’s what Cassie’s is all about.”
Cassie's, a Cody staple since 1933, is closed as a new owner evaluates the potential of the historic restaurant. (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily) 
Cassie's, a Cody staple since 1933, is closed as a new owner evaluates the potential of the historic restaurant. (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily) 
Cassie's, a Cody staple since 1933, is closed as a new owner evaluates the potential of the historic restaurant. (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily) 
Cassie's, a Cody staple since 1933, is closed as a new owner evaluates the potential of the historic restaurant. (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily) Cassie's, a Cody staple since 1933, is closed as a new owner evaluates the potential of the historic restaurant. (Andrew Rossi, Cowboy State Daily)
Meat And Potatoes (With A Side)
Jones, along with John Bjornestad, is a co-owner of Wyo Dough Pizza and Grill in Cody. They share a space on Sheridan Avenue with Cody Craft Brewing, owned by Brian and Jen Walker.
Along with fellow Cody resident Seth Cozzens, the five friends and restaurateurs decided they were ready to revitalize Cassie’s. They have already started a series of extensive improvements.
“There’s a lot of equipment being replaced, and we’re doing a lot of deep cleaning,” Jones said. “We’re not gutting it, but everything’s being cleaned and cleaned out.”
One of the first big decisions the co-owners made was to take Cassie’s back to its most successful menu. According to Brian Walker, Cassie’s will be “a classic Wyoming steakhouse,” first and foremost.
“We’re not going to have an extensive menu,” he said. “You choose your cuts of meat, your potato, and a vegetable side, along with homemade rolls that we’ll make fresh every day. It’ll be a pure Wyoming steakhouse.”
One of the perks of acquiring Cassie’s was that the property comes with a full liquor license from the City of Cody. Now, for the first time in the restaurant’s history, that license will be fully utilized.
“The full liquor license has the service, the bar, and a liquor store,” Walker said. “The liquor store portion has never been used. When we open, we’ll have a daybar and a liquor store.”
Old Timey Music
Cassie’s didn’t become iconic solely because of its dinner options. Dancing and live music are also integral to its nostalgic history, and that’s also going to be prioritized for its future.
“We don’t want a free-for-all when it comes to music,” Jones said. “We’re going to be focused on country music and line dancing.”
The original wooden dance floor still sits at the center of Cassie’s floor space. The plan is to sand and restore the flooring, so it’ll look and feel better than ever when the line dancers return.
There are also improvements planned to the structure’s electrical system and lighting over the next several months. It’s a sizeable amount of work, and a huge investment up front, but the Cody coalition sees it all as necessary and worthwhile.
“The goal is to make Cassie’s something special again,” Walker said. “We’re dedicated to improvement. We know it won’t happen at once, and there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, but we’re really excited to bring Cassie’s back to its original glory.”
Everything Old Is New Again
In the past, Cassie’s has attracted the likes of George and Barbara Bush, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, and actors Kiefer Sutherland and Henry Winkler.
The core of Cassie’s appeal is its atmosphere of Western nostalgia, which is what Jones, Walker, and the other co-owners want more than anything else.
“We already work together,” Jones said. “There’s a cohesiveness already in place, and we have a personal attachment to Cassie’s and its history. We want to create a place where there’s nostalgia and joy, because that goes back to what Cassie’s is all about.”
The co-owners hope to have Cassie’s Saloon, the daybar and liquor store, open and operating by November. The preparations for Cassie’s Steakhouse will continue through winter and spring, with an intended opening before summer 2026.
The last few years have been tumultuous for Cassie's. At the very least, this renewed effort will save the historic structure from being bulldozed for the value of the land it sits on.
The threat of losing another historic Cody structure was high, but this long-term lease is a new lease on life for Cassie’s.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, but we're happy to be doing this,” Walker said. “We appreciate everyone's support and look forward to seeing everybody at Cassie’s when we open.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
