PRAIRIE CITY — After taking over the Oxbow Dinner House and Pizza Co. in June 2024, owners Orrin Libolt and Miranda Owen-Libolt feel like they’re finally finding their footing.

Initially unsure of the logistics of juggling their lives in Central Oregon with their newly purchased business in Prairie City, these days the pair spend just as much time in Prairie City as anywhere else — if not more.

Both Owen-Libolt and her husband had a familiarity with the Oxbow prior to their purchase of the restaurant and its iconic bar, having been regular customers at the establishment for years. Born and raised in Prairie City, Owen-Libolt has fond memories of the Oxbow from her youth, along with the typical small-town connections one can have at a small-town restaurant.

“My dad bartended in here when he was in his early 20s, as a second job to raise his family. My aunt is in that picture. … She’s the one in the middle,” she said, pointing to a photo beside the bar.

“My family, my heart, is what history is in this place, so for me, this is home.”

Talks to buy the restaurant started as an offhand comment from Owen-Libolt to the previous owners, Phil and Carol Bopp, about the timing and circumstances of such a purchase needing to be right.

That comment got Owen-Libolt and her husband thinking about what ownership of the Oxbow would look like.

“I was obsessing over, like, how can we make this work? How can we make this work? And I just was like, we can’t, there’s no way,” she said. “So … I just shut it down.”

But it didn’t end there. The previous owners reached out to Owen-Libolt and her husband last spring, saying that they were ready to sell.

The new owners wouldn’t divulge what they paid for the restaurant, although the realty.com website had the business listed for sale at an asking price of $349,000. Owen-Libolt said she and her husband did not pay list price for the establishment, however.

The turnaround was quick — the sale closed on a Monday and the restaurant reopened that Wednesday under new ownership.

Owen-Libolt said there wasn’t much to be done in changing or upgrading the establishment.

The look and feel are largely the same, although the bar offerings did get beefed up, bigger televisions were installed and the most popular menu item at the Oxbow made the installation of a second pizza oven necessary.

The look of the menu has been overhauled to fit the restaurant’s historic theme, although the menu itself will remain largely the same, with the addition of a weekly entree special to add variety.

Dessert selections also have been greatly expanded.

The new owners inherited one previous employee who provided valuable institutional knowledge in running the restaurant.

“We really need to thank our current staff, because we have acquired some of the best human beings in this community,” Owen-Libolt said. “This business and our success is in their heart.”

Local residents’ response to the new owners has been positive, and the couple is looking to create more of a community feel in the restaurant moving forward, with events and weekly get-togethers in the works.

“The best is yet to come,” Owen-Libolt said.

At a Glance

What: The Oxbow Dinner House and Pizza Co.

Where: 128 Front St., Prairie City

Owners: Orrin Libolt and Miranda Owen-Libolt

Hours: 4-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday

On the menu: Pizza, hamburgers, salads, appetizers, beer, cocktails and desserts