Ben Monsees, Ryan Walsh, and business partner Andy O’Neill are trying to break the monotony of the college bar scene in downtown Columbia. The Shot Bar’s owners and operators are taking on a new business adventure, The Understudy, located on the corner of Ninth and Cherry, underneath Kaldi’s Coffee.

“We want to create a fun atmosphere but add more widely appealing and professional-grade products,” says Monsees. “I don’t think there’s many places in town that have a professional feel and service while still having a college atmosphere.”

They’ve crafted their cocktail menu around eight classics.

“If you want a good, standard cocktail that has been widely known for 50 years, we’re going to try to do the best one you can find in town,” says Walsh. “Then we’ll have our own variation of those eight, along with others we’ve created to supplement our wine and beer list.”

The Understudy will serve an array of beer and wine, with a wide selection of craft beers and wine available on tap.

“Our doors are open whether you’re here for a quality cocktail you might not be able to get anywhere else or you want to watch the game and play a couple of bar games —we’re not going for upscale,” says Walsh. “We want to provide an all-inclusive place.”

Although the current focus is getting the The Understudy open and off its feet, the owners also plan to offer cocktail and wine classes after the grand opening in January.

“We have a lot of people come into Shot Bar and want to bartend or learn more about making drinks. It would be nice if people had a place where they could learn these concepts,” says Monsees.

Walsh says classes could be fun for those pursuing bartending experience, or for a group of friends wanting to get out and do something fun together. 

Just like at The Shot Bar, the owners say they never plan to charge cover at The Understudy.

“We hated paying it when we were students here,” Walsh says. “Our drinks will be priced appropriately for what they are, and we plan to have nightly specials.”

After being in the bar business for over five years, Monsees, Walsh, and O’Neill feel they understand the downtown dynamic.

“We think we have a good feel for what people like and want in this town, and we’re excited to give them another bar that represents that,” Walsh says.

Stay tuned on The Understudy website and Facebook page for information about classes and the grand opening after the first of the year.