Casper's debuts at new location

Casper’s has reopened to fanfare from Springfield foodies after being closed for a year.

A line outside the door was observed by Springfield Business Journal this morning after the restaurant officially launched at 937 S. Glenstone Ave.

"We love you all and can't thank you enough for the patience and support over the last year. We look forward to having you back in our new location," the restaurant posted on Facebook.

The new Casper's restaurant is in the building that formerly housed Anton’s Coffee Shop for nearly 50 years. Anton's closed in 2020.

Casper's owner Shawn Kraft told Springfield Business Journal last month that he put "blood, sweat, tears, decades off the end of my life" into the relocation of the restaurant.

Kraft announced in May 2022 plans to relocate the business from its downtown Quonset hut, a building made of corrugated metal with a semicircular cross section. The restaurant started in a building on the site of the parking garage on Walnut Street west of the Landers Theatre in 1909, moved to a Quonset hut at Glenstone Avenue and Cherokee Street in 1948 and set up at the most recent Quonset hut, 601 W. Walnut St., in 1985, according to past reporting.

Casper's menu includes chili, Frito pie, burgers and sandwiches.